Law Rocks! gains charity status

The Law Rocks! programme announced last week that it had secured approved charitable status, after firm Howard Kennedy had advised them on the nuances of their application. 

The ruling was made by the Charities Commission on the 16th January. Law Rocks! was founded in 2009 by Nick Child, who was a Managing Director at Navigant, and Damian Hickman, who is the CEO of the International Dispute Resolution Sector. Upon learning of the success of their application, they appointed four trustees - the two founders alongside Sir Vivian Ramsey and Ted Scott of Secretariat International. 

The charity is designed to amalgamate the ability and financial backing of the international legal community in order to raise money designed to provide both musical education for underprivileged young people and funds for non-profit organisations around the globe. 

The main strand in which this is achieved is through a series of global 'Battle of the Bands', which allow bands from different firms and chambers to compete against each other in a competition format. In the UK alone, Law Rocks! raises between £30,000 and £40,000 each year, and overall since it's inception in 2009, it has raised more than $2 million for a variety of causes. 

From humble beginnings, where just six bands competed in the first competition, more than 140 bands from 17 different cities were part of the Law Rocks! campaign in 2016, as part of the annual IBA international conference. 

Damian Hickman said: “Law Rocks! has grown year on year, and obtaining charitable status will allow us raise more money, take advantage of the tax reliefs on gift aid, and deliver more money to those charities we and the bands support.  It will add a greater degree of professionalism to everything we do.”

Peter Birkett, a Howard Kennedy lawyer and member of their competing house band 'Take it to the Bridge', said: “Law Rocks! has clearly tapped into a hitherto unknown pool of talent in the legal profession and given them the chance to be the rock stars they perhaps always wanted to be, while raising considerable amounts of money for good causes around the world.  We are delighted to have been able to play a part in securing charitable status for Law Rocks!, putting them on a strong footing for future growth.”

Law Rocks! will on 16 March be holding its ‘Six of the Best’ concert at its regular home, the 100 Club, with winners of previous events battling for ultimate glory.  Bands from Howard Kennedy, Addleshaw Goddard, Ashursts, TWM, Irwin Mitchell and Simons Muirhead & Burton will be competing.

Visit their website for more information. 

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