CPICL Comparative Law Seminar - Doing Good by the Book : The Modernisation of Charity Law

About the seminar:

Charity law has changed dramatically over the years. Once grounded in centuries-old court rulings, it’s now shaped by modern regulations that reflect today’s legal and financial environment and complex social values. Over time this shift has redefined what it means to ‘do good’. 

In this talk, three experts in charity law will explore how it is evolving and why that matters. Who decides what counts as a charity? How do we balance private efforts with the public good? And what happens when complex issues like religion, disability and welfare come into play?  

Discover how charity law is changing in Australia, New Zealand and England. Whether you’re a student, a trustee, a legal expert or simply passionate about social good, you'll gain fresh insight into how the rules behind charity are being reshaped. 

About the speakers:

Kim Weinert

Dr Kim Weinert (Moderator) is a lecturer at the TC Beirne School of Law at the University of Queensland and a Visiting Fellow of the State Library of NSW in 2025. Her research sits at the intersection of private purpose and public benefit — exploring how charities navigate their dual role as independent legal entities that serve the broader community good. Kim’s work on charity law has been cited by the Queensland Supreme Court and the Western Australian Parliament. With a PhD from Griffith University, and as a co-author of three books and author of numerous journal articles, she has focused on examining how traditional legal frameworks are informed and adapted by cultural legality, always with an eye towards how the law and its regulatory approaches better support charities and the public. As co-editor of Charity Law and Governance — Private purpose, public benefit and the regulatory strategy, Kim brought together diverse perspectives on a broad range of legal issues facing the charity sector across common law jurisdictions.     

Juliet Chevalier-Watts

Dr Juliet Chevalier-Watts is Associate Professor in Law and Research Convenor at the University of Waikato, and former Co-Director of the university’s Waikato Public Law and Policy Research Unit. She is a specialist in charity law, equity and trusts, and religious law. Her recent contributions to the literature include the monographs The Law of Religion in New Zealand and the 2nd edition of Law of Charity, and ‘Advocating for the environment, charity law and Greenpeace: A New Zealand perspective’ in the Journal of Environmental Law. Juliet has authored several books, book chapters, and numerous national and international journal articles, as well as giving media interviews and podcasts, and producing a number of commissioned reports.

Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson is a Reader in Law at York Law School, University of York, UK. After reading Law at Cardiff Law School, she commenced studies in Modern British History, gaining an MA (History) and PhD (History) and setting in motion her longstanding aspiration for greater use of history and historical methodology across legal scholarship and legal education. Sarah’s work on charity law originates in her lifelong interest in trusts law. For many years she authored the student textbook Todd and Wilson’s Textbook on Trusts and Equity, building on work published on Trusts, Equity and Commerce. She is currently collaborating on a historical project drawing on nineteenth-century trusts law and banking practices with business historians from Stirling and Ulster Universities. Sarah’s current work on charity, society and law is strongly cross-disciplinary, informed by the history for legal analysis and social harm analysis. Elsewhere in the charity law space, her work engages with critical animal studies analysis to develop new ways of thinking around how English charity law responds to animal welfare matters. 

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