Stephen O’Reilly

Stephen is a charity lawyer with over twenty years of experience of advising in the charity and not for profit sector. He advises charities, not for profits, social enterprises and educational institutions on corporate governance, mergers and reorganisations, company law, commercial law and regulatory matters and has significant experience of dealing with the Charity Commission, Companies House, OSCR, the Scottish Charity Regulator and the FCA. His clients are based in the UK and abroad.

Stephen also advises membership organisations and regularly advises on the drafting of grant agreements (from the perspective of both the donor and the recipient) including public sector grants and grants from foundations.

Stephen has established a number of charitable and not for profit foundations for corporates and has significant experience of advising banks, corporates and pensions funds on matters relating to charities and not for profits including as part of multi-million pound transactions and lending arrangements. He often advises on which jurisdiction is most suitable for establishing a foundation in.

He regularly delivers seminars and presentations on corporate governance (including the role of the company secretary, compliance with charity law duties and mergers) and produces frequent updates on charity law.

Stephen is a recommended lawyer in The Legal 500 and is ranked as a “Next Generation Partner”.

Main areas of expertise 

• charities
• social enterprise
• corporate foundations 

The clients he works with 

• charities
• not for profits
• social enterprises
• universities
• corporate foundations
• educational institutions

Qualifications

• LPC University of Law (2002)
• PGDL University of Law (2001)
• BA Hons University of Nottingham (2000)

Memberships

• The Law Society

More about Stephen 

I enjoy playing and watching sports including rugby, football and golf. I run a regular Wednesday evening 5-a-side football game which we manage to keep going all year round. I also enjoy running and take part in a few races every year. Beyond that, my two children keep me busy with their various activities and I do enjoy travelling with my family when time permits.