Meet our guest speaker: Matthew Smith KC

Matthew Smith KC, a leading barrister in practice at Maitland Chambers in London, will deliver the keynote address at the Commission’s forthcoming annual public meeting.

Matthew brings extensive expertise in charity law, regularly appearing before the Tribunal and High Court on charity-related matters. He has been involved in most of the leading charity cases of the last two decades, including in the Tribunal, High Court and Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland in Bangor Provident Trust v Charity Commission [2015] NICA 21 and related cases.

His LLM thesis on the rule against politics in charity law drew heavily on his knowledge of charity law in other common law jurisdictions. He edits the “Charities” volume of Halsbury’s Law, Atkins Court Forms and the Encyclopedia of Forms and Precedents. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the University of Liverpool’s Charity Law and Policy Unit.

Meeting details

• Date:        Thursday, 22 January 2026
• Time:        10.30am – 12.30pm (registration from 10am)
• Venue:      Malone House, Barnett Demesne, Belfast, BT9 5PB.

Alongside Matthew’s address, attendees will:

• hear updates on the Commission’s work and future plans.
• gain insights into key issues affecting charities, including banking challenges and financial resilience.
• engage directly with Northern Ireland’s Chief Charity Commissioner Gerard McCurdy, Chief Executive Frances McCandless and senior staff.

Registration details

Spaces are limited. To give everyone a chance, the Commission are keeping bookings to a maximum of two places per organisation. To reserve your place, email events@charitycommissionni.org.uk with your name, organisation (if applicable), contact details and any accessibility requirements.