Get Chartered, or how to reach the Gold Standard of incorporated body with a Royal Charter
This blog article is based on an interview I conducted with Keith Lawrey, winner of the City Livery Club's Root and Branch Award (2017). The Root and Branch Award recognises the Liveryman who has made an outstanding contribution to the wider aims of the Livery, and is usually presented by the Lord Mayor of London at the City Livery Club's annual civic luncheon in the City. Keith achieved his award for decades of pro bono work for the Livery Companies specifically guiding them through the process of obtaining a first Royal Charter, supplemental Royal Charters or making amendments to an existing Royal Charter. In 2020 I conducted a further podcast interview with Charles Hughes, Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists. It was during Charles' year as Master that the Company's Royal Charter was presented. This article explores the reasons why a Livery Company would want to petition the Crown for a Royal Charter and the process as it stands to