The Legal Spectrum Podcast

In this month’s episode, Alison Jones is joined by Paul Coby, CIO at Persimmon Homes and Trustee at MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology), alongside Emily Cecile-Pritchard, Director of Digital at MOLA, to explore digital in the charity sector. Together, Paul and Emily draw on insights from Paul’s recent book, The Digital Leaders Playbook: 60 Fundamental Maxims for Success for Today's IT Executi...

In this month’s episode, Michelle Cooper, CEO of Point North Community Foundation, and Tom Neill-Eagle, Co-Founder of AI-powered platform Plinth, join Alison Jones to explore how artificial intelligence is being used in the charity sector.  Together, Michelle and Tom discuss how the traditionally risk-averse charity sector can benefit from adopting AI, and how AI tools have been used at Point Nort...

To celebrate Trustees Week, we’re proud to be hosting a brand-new podcast, which will cover a range of topics related to trusteeship, from the advantages of being a trustee to the key challenges. Our people are trustees and governors of a number of charities and schools throughout the region, so we have hands-on experience and understanding of the region’s social, political and economic framework....

Is a four-day workweek too good to be true?   In this month's episode, Alison Dunn, CEO of the Society Matters Group at Citizens Advice Gateshead, joins Samantha Pritchard and Jill Donabie to discuss the four-day workweek, debunking the myths about how this can function within a charity.   After initial scepticism about this new work pattern, Alison watched 'Redefining Productivity: The...

In this month's episode, Fiona Melvin and Matt Forster of New Writing North join Alison Jones and Victoria Walton in our Sports, Education, and Charities team to discuss what makes a good board. New Writing North is a charity that unites people through books and writing and supports talented people from all backgrounds to achieve their creative ambitions. Having won the North East Charity Awa...

Nic Greenan, CEO and Custodian of Tyneside Cinema, joins Samantha Pritchard to discuss the importance of the relationship between a CEO and a charity’s board of trustees, particularly when finances are squeezed, as well as the cinema’s future ambitions. Tyneside Cinema is an independent cinema and cultural venue in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne, and the last remaining newsreel theatre still sho...

Gary Shaughnessy, chair of Parkinson’s UK, joins Samantha Pritchard and Alison Jones of Muckle LLP to discuss the incredible physical challenges he’s taken part in to manage his own condition and to raise awareness and funds for Parkinson’s UK, and his role as chair at this charity.  Their conversation centres around how Parkinson’s UK embeds the lived experiences of the people and families the ch...

Rob Williamson, chief executive of the Community Foundation serving Northumberland and Tyne & Wear, and James Garbutt, investment director at Rathbones, join Samantha Pritchard and Alison Jones of Muckle LLP to discuss how the Community Foundation engages with its stakeholders and collaborates with others to develop robust and responsible policies that underpin its approach to accepting donors...

Alisar Taylor, founder and CEO, and Shannon Charters, makaton lead, both of True Colours Theatre, join Alison Jones and Carla Boaks to discuss the charity’s impressive growth in a short space of time. True Colours Theatre is an inclusive theatre and performance charity. Established in 2014 in Newcastle, the charity works with adults and children with a variety of needs, including autism, ADHD and...

Mark Brassell, Chief Executive Officer of Alnwick Garden Trust, joins us to discuss Lilidorei, an educational children’s play park, which cost £18.5m and created more than 60 new jobs in the region. The ambitious project took seven years from concept to reality, with the park opening in May 2023. Mark discusses what charity leaders need to be thinking about when planning a major project to both se...

As the world's attention becomes increasingly focused on taking responsibility for the environment, environmental sustainability is an issue that charities, like the rest of society, simply cannot afford to ignore. Alison Jones, Senior Associate at Muckle LLP is joined by Carol Botten, former Chief Executive of VONNE, and Zoe Hull, Director of Development and Strategic Partnerships at Norther...

Charlotte Campbell, Director of Fundraising and Operations at the Children's Heart Unit Fund (Chuf), joins us to talk about the charity's involvement with cryptocurrency, detailing the process of accepting crypto donations and the accompanying risks. Charlotte also highlights the advantages of cultivating a diversified income stream and its role in the charity's growth and success. 

Introduction Keep up to date with changes in employment law, including key legislative and case law developments and practical guidance with the first of our quarterly online updates from members of our Employment team. What the session covers This session will be of interest to all HR professionals providing an overview of current themes affecting all employers. We'll explain our shared view...

In this episode, Joanne Davison, partner in our Education team, is joined by James Armstrong and Richard Nixon, partners in our Real Estate team, to discuss the importance of good preparation in relation to development projects. They cover topics such as early identification of potential legal and practical problems, the differences between option agreements and conditional contracts and the usefu...

In this episode, Alison Walton, partner and head of procurement at Muckle is joined by Jonathan Parker from Pagabo , a framework provider catering specifically to developer-led projects. They discuss the frameworks used by public sector bodies as part of their procurement process and how developers and contractors can get appointed.

Procurement can sometimes get slightly overlooked when planning a development project, often seen as something only relevant to the public sector. However, it can have implications for developers, contractors and professional service providers, particularly when dealing with the public sector in any capacity. Leah Heatley, partner in Muckle LLP’s dispute resolution team talks to Alison Walton, par...

What do you need to consider when appointing individuals to your project team? In this episode, legal experts from Muckle LLP’s Employment team discuss the intricacies and the legal implications of the various ways you can recruit to ensure you’re getting the right people with the right skills for your project team. Contributors Lucilla Waugh, partner and Head of Construction, is joined by Chris M...

In this episode Jason Wainwright , managing partner and real estate lawyer at Muckle LLP, talks to Matthew Walsh and Adam Rayner , both partners in our corporate team about structuring your development project. They share tips and advice on what you need to consider, and what options are out there in terms of structure and corporate vehicles when setting up a construction project.

How should you go about financing your development project? Legal experts from Muckle LLP explore the key considerations. Contributors   Gail Bennett , Partner in Real Estate at Muckle LLP is joined by Louise Duffy , Partner and Head of Banking, and Will McKay , Partner in Real Estate. 

How can you make sure you’re delivering in the right way, on time and on budget when working on a development project? Lucilla Waugh from Muckle LLP is joined by Carol Cairns from Northumbrian Water Group who shares her experience when it comes to ensuring successful delivery.    Contributors Lucilla Waugh , Partner and Head of Construction and Engineering, at Muckle LLP is joined by Carol Cairns,...

What are the key considerations to ensure everything runs smoothly on your construction development project? In this first episode in a podcast series from Muckle LLP, we introduce some of the factors we’ll be exploring in more detail in coming episodes.    Contributors: Lucilla Waugh , Partner and Head of Construction and Engineering, at Muckle LLP is joined by Hugh Welch , Senior Partner in corp...

Simon Taylor, Head of Chelsea FC Foundation, chats to John Devine , partner and head of sports and charities law at Muckle, about how the charity has coped throughout the pandemic, with some fascinating insight into the positives of adapting to help others overcome adversity. 

What happens to GDPR post-Brexit? Are the rules around data protection changing? What do businesses need to do to stay compliant? These are just some of the grey areas our data protection experts, partner Alex Craig and solicitor Samantha Roberts , clear up in this straightforward chat about the various scenarios businesses may face in 2021.

How do you prepare for something when you don’t know exactly what’s coming? This podcast has a few pointers that will help, as commercial lawyers Luke Donockley and Robin Adams share their top tips for getting your business ready for Brexit. 

The way public procurement is done will change at the end of 2020. We know OJEU, the platform for advertising tender opportunities, will be replaced by the UK government’s new Find a Tender Service. But how will this impact public authorities and businesses looking to sell to the public sector? What will happen when we stop following EU procurement laws? And what can we do to prepare? Procurement...