Charities Team Expansion Driven by Rising Demand

Due to increased demand, we have expanded our national charities team with the appointment of Ruo Wu as a legal director.

With more than 20 years of experience in the charities sector, including over a decade of legal expertise, Ruo has worked both in-house and in private practice. She joins the firm from Winckworth Sherwood LLP, where she was a senior associate in the charities and social enterprises team.

Her expertise spans governance, restructuring, mergers, dissolutions and incorporations for a wide range of organisations, including charitable trusts, community interest companies, community amateur sports clubs and B Corporations. She also has significant experience working with the Charity Commission on registrations and complex governance reviews.

Ruo is a passionate advocate for the third sector and was elected to the executive committee of the Charity Law Association in 2023. She has also played an active role in thought leadership, including launching the Charity Law Conversation podcast, publishing articles, and hosting panel discussions on topics such as the use of artificial intelligence in charity law.

Notably, she previously headed the charities and not-for-profit team at Field Seymour Parkes LLP, where she established a specialist practice and advised on the incorporation of the UK’s first mobile phone museum charity – a project that received national media coverage.

Ruo said: “Shakespeare Martineau has one of the strongest charity and social enterprise offerings in the country and I am excited to be joining such a talented team. The firm’s B Corporation status and commitment to innovation really resonated with me, and I look forward to helping clients navigate complex governance and regulatory issues while contributing to the team’s growth. I am particularly interested in exploring the role of technology, including AI, in the sector and building on the firm’s successful charities podcast series.”

In her new role, Ruo will lead on complex governance, restructuring, mergers, dissolutions and incorporation matters; assist trustees with annual accounts and regulatory returns; oversee grant-making, fundraising and commercial queries; and act as a key liaison with the Charity Commission on registrations and governance issues.

Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Ruo is also a key contact for overseas inquiries from high-net-worth individuals looking to establish charities and social enterprises in the UK.

Catherine Rustomji, partner and head of charities, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Ruo to the team. Her extensive experience, both in-house and in private practice, and her passion for the sector make her an excellent addition. The mix of new client wins and ongoing demand means we are expanding our governance capability, and having Ruo as a legal director gives us greater scope to service clients while strengthening our expertise.”

Our charities team provides full-spectrum legal and advisory expertise covering charity law and governance, legacy administration, funding, property and commercial matters, intellectual property, employment, data protection and disputes. We act for charities of all sizes and is trusted by more than 200 charities and social enterprise clients across the UK.