Landmark Cases in Charity Law

Part of the iconic Landmark Cases series, this book brings the most significant cases in charity law together for the first time.

More than four hundred years have passed since the Statute of Charitable Uses of 1601, whose Preamble set out a list of charitable purposes which has formed the basis of the modern legal definition of charity. This book explores the substantial body of judge-made rules and principles developed since then, highlighting a carefully curated selection of the landmark cases which have shaped charity law. Each chapter analyses one or more judicial decisions, setting them in their historical context, explaining their contemporary importance, and considering their future relevance.

The selected cases cover a broad range of topics. Some go to the heart of what it means to be a charity, elucidating charity’s legal definition and public benefit requirement. Others demonstrate how charity law has been shaped by its interaction with other bodies of law, including trust law, company law and equality law, and by emerging tensions between trustees’ overriding duty to further the charity’s purposes and broader moral obligations or ethical considerations.

The book has a core focus on English precedents, but the cases are touchstones in many jurisdictions. Our contributors therefore include scholars, judges and practitioners from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Singapore, as well as from the UK. The result is a book that sheds new light on the application and development of charity law’s defining rules and principles across the common law world.