Event Information

Claris is a consultant working with Wrigleys’ clients nationwide.  Claris qualified as a Barrister in 1994 and has been advising charities for over 20 years. Previous experience includes working as a lawyer with the Charity Commission and as an in-house legal adviser for a registered charity, where she gained invaluable experience at the “coalface”.  Claris advises on a wide range of charity law issues including charity formations, incorporations, mergers and collaborations, trustees' powers and duties, public benefit, rationalising funds, handling and reporting serious incidents, governance reviews and dealing with the Charity Commission.

Claris has over eight years experience as a governor a charity trustee of a large charitable independent school and is currently a governor of an all-through academy school with 1300+ pupils. Claris has been on Bursary Campaign Committee for over 9 years which seeks to promote social mobility and she is also part of a task force looking into equality and diversity issues.

Claris regularly speaks at and chairs conferences about charity law and practice issues for the voluntary sector, lawyers and other professionals. She has written articles for amongst others Charity Finance, Third Sector and the Bursars' Review.

Lucy Robson is an audit partner at RSM and heads up the not for profit team in Newcastle. She is a chartered accountant and holds the Diploma in Charity Accounting awarded by the ICAEW.

Lucy has a wealth of experience in advising and auditing not for profit entities. As a member of the firm’s national charities and education sector team, she works proactively to ensure that clients understand sector changes and are supported to achieve their objectives. She also leads out our not for profit internal training and seminar series.

Outside her role as an audit partner, Lucy brings her experience of undertaking various Trustee positions to her role. 

James joined Rathbones from UBS AG where he was a director in the Newcastle office. He has 23 years industry experience and specialises in the discretionary investment management of charities portfolios, is a member of the national charities team and sits on the Rathbones Collectives Investment Committee.

James is vice-chairman of Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums Development Trust. He holds the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment Diploma and is a Chartered Fellow of the CISI.