Luke Hall
Biography
Luke is a senior associate and is the Head of Pro Bono for the Firm's Australian offices. Luke has over 20 years' experience in the for-purpose sector having governed, managed, advised or worked for various charities, not-for-profits and government organisations.
Luke focuses on charities and not-for-profit (NFP) organisations and assists Baker McKenzie’s charity and NFP clients with corporate structuring and restructuring, taxation (including charity registration and deductible gift recipient (DGR) endorsement) and connecting clients with other Baker McKenzie services in order to provide practical, legal solutions through a charity or NFP lens. Luke works closely with the Corporate and Taxation teams to assist the Firm's charity and not-for-profit clients (pro bono and non-pro bono clients).
Luke is responsible for managing the Australian offices' pro bono practice and programs, assisting clients including refugees and asylum seekers, the elderly, survivors of domestic violence, and marginalised and disadvantaged individuals. Luke also advises community legal centres and charity and NFP organisations regarding advocacy and policy matters. Luke works alongside the global pro bono team for Firm-wide global programs.
Practice Focus
Luke focuses on charities and not-for-profit (NFP) organisations, and has deep experience in providing structuring and re-structuring advice, the establishment and registration of charities (including public benevolent institutions (PBIs), health promotion charities (HPCs), public and private ancillary funds) and various other deductible gift recipient (DGR) entities,the preparation and review of governing documents (e.g. company constitutions, association rules, charitable trusts and DGR rules) and the undertaking compliance reviews against the Charities Act, ACNC Act, ACNC Regulations (including Governance Standards and External Conduct Standards), ITAA97 Division 30 and 50 (including reviews and audits by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO)), and fundraising legislation across Australia.
Luke regularly advises on fringe benefits tax (FBT) exemption (for PBIs and for religious practitioners), on stamp duty advice and stamp duty exemption applications and on land tax advice and land tax exemption applications.
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Member, Charity Law Association of Australia and New Zealand
Admissions
- Supreme Court of New South Wales
- High Court of Australia
Education
- University of Sydney (Bachelor of Law (Honours))
- University of Sydney (Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing & Economics))
Firm Committee Memberships
- BakerDNA Committee