Ian Hempseed

Ian is a charity and corporate lawyer who has a wide range of experience in the field of commercial, constitutional and governance law. He heads up the charities and social enterprise team at Hempsons. His broad expertise in advising charities, social enterprises and other not for profit organisations enables us to provide pragmatic and proactive advice to the sector as a whole. Throughout COVID-19 Ian and the team have supported charities with their emergency requirements for bank loans, restructuring of funds and COVVID-19 focused applications to the Charity Commission.

He also works closely with organisations, public sector staff and entrepreneurs in developing appropriate legal structures for social enterprises.

GPs, private consultants and other health professionals call upon Ian’s help to create appropriate corporate vehicles and structures for joint ventures.

Ian is regularly invited by external organisations to run workshops and training sessions on a wide range of topics affecting charities and social enterprises.

Ian Hempseed was also a Mutuals Ambassador for the Mutuals Programme run by the Cabinet Office. Ian continues to be involved in  the creation and development of staff led mutuals delivering  public services.

Ian is a trustee of Power to Change.

Main areas of expertise

• charity and company law
• social enterprises
• constitutional and governance advice
• mergers, joint ventures and collaborations
• commercial contracts
• funding arrangements

The clients he works with

• charities
• social enterprises
• membership organisations
• royal charter corporations
• founders of charities and social enterprises
• public sector staff setting up employee led-social enterprises
• professional practices
• GPs, dental and medical corporate bodies

Memberships

• Charity Law Association
• Social Enterprise UK
• RSA – fellow

 Recent external publications

• Hospice and Care Benchmarking Survey Report (with haysmacintyre)

Contact Ian

As an alternative to our contact form you can email Ian.

“Ian is excellent – he’s a great support and a reliable adviser. He has always offered sound, practical and timely advice.” (Chambers and Partners)

“Hempsons is a very professional and very easy firm to work with. It has outstanding staff and is always happy to help and advise. Ian Hempseed is very well versed in our affairs, remembers issues going back over many years and is able to put everything into context. He has and remains a very valuable asset for us as an organisation.” (Legal 500)

Led by Ian Hempseed and Helen Hirst the national team at Hempsons “combines excellent knowledge and experience with an accessible and friendly approach”. (Legal 500)

“Clients describe him as a “reliable, authoritative, pragmatic and trusted adviser.” (Chambers 2020)

“Ian Hempseed provides pragmatic and proactive advice. He has highly impressive specialist knowledge of the charity sector.” (Legal 500 2020-21)

“Ian Hempseed is extremely competent in charity law, mergers, governance, social enterprises, commercial matters and a whole range of other issues, including trustee support, governance, etc.” (Legal 500 2020-21)

“Ian Hempseed is excellent – hardworking and engaged, and popular with clients.” (Legal 500 2020-21)

“He is extremely thorough and very quick to see his way around an issue.” [He is] “very good at highlighting issues and providing solutions.” (Chambers 2019)