Collaborations and Mergers

This workshop will be led by Catherine Cooney (Partner in the Charities & Corporate Department of Worthington Solicitors) and Andrew Talbot (Managing Partner and Founder of Collaboration Ireland). They will outline the benefit of strategic alliances in the sector, the different legal forms of merger, collaboration and joint working and the pros and cons of each.

The workshop will also cover: -

• Drivers for partnerships or merger
• Questions that should be asked by trustees and their senior management team
• Legal pitfalls and how to avoid them (including TUPE, premises and contracts)
• What does due diligence look like and why is it needed
• Other key stages in the process
• Post merger logistics

The workshop will be interactive and any questions are welcome throughout.

Facilitators:

Catherine leads the Charities and Social Enterprise team at Worthingtons Solicitors and has been ranked in Chambers Legal Directory for her Charity Law expertise for the last two years.  Catherine and her team specialise in charity law and have acted in numerous mergers and partnerships throughout the sector. Chambers Legal Publication 2019 stated “Senior associate Catherine Cooney of Worthingtons is praised for her technical understanding. Sources also note: "She has a very personable approach which is helpful, but she also has an endless bank of knowledge."”

Catherine Cooney, Partner              
Catherine is an experienced lawyer specialising in charity, corporate and commercial law. She worked in a city centre law firm from 2008 and joined Worthingtons as a Partner in 2018. She represents charities, companies, social enterprises, housing associations, local authorities and schools. Catherine advises charity trustees, company directors and committee members and supports their senior management teams. She advises charities in all matters including Charity Tribunal Appeals, charity trustee training on legal responsibilities and liabilities, corporate governance advice and training, advice on group structure, subsidiaries and trading arms, mergers and collaboration, serious incident reporting, incorporation, restructuring and rebranding amongst others.  Catherine also sits on the Board of two local charities.

Andrew Talbot is a specialist in partnership working, collaborations, charity mergers and governance.  He provides group coaching, project leadership, training, facilitation and governance advice to charities, social enterprises and statutory organisations. He also provides independent honest-broker support to collaborations and partnerships:

• building strategic alliances;
• developing effective consortia; and
• leading successful mergers and charity restructurings.