AS IT AFFECTS COMPANIES LIMITED BY GUARANTEE - NEW 4TH EDITION FROM JORDANS WITH ACCOMPANYING CD ROM
An appreciation by Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers

For lawyers, accountants, company directors and company secretaries dealing with companies limited by guarantee, this concise and authoritative volume from Jordan Publishing is essential. It is a completely updated work of reference for those advising, for example, charities, clubs, and trade associations.

The book would also be of benefit to public sector employees working in this and related fields. Updated to reflect the changes in the law that have taken place since 2011, this well established work is, in the words of the authors, designed to provide a guide to company law as it affects companies limited by guarantee.

As Mark Mullen and Josh Lewison explain, a company limited by guarantee is a private company in which the liability of its members is limited. But essentially it is the framework of company law which, say the expert authors, provides a ready-made system of checks and balances between the company, its members and its officers.

This new fourth edition incorporates much new material that practitioners across a range of professions need to know about when dealing with the burgeoning number of organizations operated by companies limited by guarantee. Such companies, say the authors, are enjoying a resurgence, particularly as a vehicle for social enterprise. including fee schools and academies and scientific institutions.

Interestingly, the book touches briefly on the development of the internet in the UK (at least partially) by certain mutual organizations or trade associations of the kind that would logically operate as companies limited by guarantee and which in many instances pioneered the operation of the internet infrastructure.

But the most noteworthy aspect of this fourth edition is obviously its new material, which includes, for example, the new charitable form of charitable Incorporated Associations under the Charities Act 2011 and the related provisions. Also included are the amendments relating to Scotland and Northern Ireland. Note that Appendix J contains the update on annual filing requirements for charitable companies. There is an update of model articles of a company for use by property companies, as well as -- in case the need ever arises -- a procedure for the expulsion of a member.

For those doing additional research into this currently expanding field of law, the book provides extensive tables of cases, statutes, statutory instruments and European materials, plus ten appendices and a handy index. The text throughout (except for the appendices) is presented via numbered paragraphs for easier navigation.

Another time-saver is the accompanying CD ROM attached to the back cover. Its entirely accurate to say that this book is an incredibly useful resource for all professional groups involved in this field.

The law is stated as at December 2013.