Kishanie Sivanesan has received praise for her outstanding work as a lawyer with a remarkable speciality: she provides legal services to charities - a very diverse and challenging field.
Kishanie Sivanesan (Lawnet, EJ UK) works in the field of charities for the lawfirm Geldards. 'I am very happy to work in this field,' she says, 'I feel priviledged to be able to work wtih these great people who do all this after their working hours'.
Charities have diverse needs in terms of legal advice. They are regulated by commissions and can face issues concerning governance, finances, and of course the difficult task of starting up a new charity also requires an extensive legal knowledge. 'My background is governance and restructuring,' says Kishanie. 'Sometimes working for charities also implies pooling resources, bringing several of them together to acheive more than they would do by themselves. I always had an interest in this sector, but it is quite unusual: it’s a niche area, you wouldn't think they have a lot of legal things to deal with but they actually run up against a lot of rules and regulations.'
Kishanie's work has recently been heralded by Charity Finance, a magazine dedicated to the life and management of charities. The magazine nominated Kishanie as one of 25 British professionals to look out for in future years, underlining her ability to 'go beyond simply providing statutory services and advice'. Giselle Davies, another member of Geldards, reacted by saying that Kishanie is often 'sought after by our clients' and that she engages 'easily with both inexperienced and more sophisticated trustees and staff of the charities'.
'My very first experience with a charity was a group of citizens who wanted to convert an abandonded schoolbuilding in their neighbourhood into a community centre,” Kishanie says. “They put a consortium together and it was very successful; they got a lease of the building and now it provides training for people looking for a job, and other facilities. They are mid-way through their journey but it was very exciting to work with them. They gave a real boost to their community and have helped people to connect with one another in the neighbourhood.'
For those who are interested in becoming lawyers and legal advisors for charities, Kishanie has some advice: 'Charity law is very broad, so you need to cover a lot of disciplines. You will need a wide knowledge of a range of different statuses, from small groups to incorporated associations to Royal Charter organisations. They will have very diverse questions for you, from working contracts to commercial rules. So it is a niche subject but with a lot of different interests. Always keep in mind that they are run to be successful.'
