Ask an Expert: Legal Structures for Social Enterprises

There is no one-size-fits-all legal structure for a social enterprise in Australia. Choosing the right structure is a critical early decision that can shape your organisation's governance, funding opportunities, ability to grow, and how effectively you protect and deliver on your social purpose.

Join Rachel Steele, Senior Associate in MinterEllison's Social Impact team, for an interactive Ask an Expert session exploring the key legal structuring considerations for social enterprises. Rachel and the Social Impact team at MinterEllison specialise in helping purpose-driven organisations - particularly social enterprises – with a range of corporate governance, commercial matters, and strategic legal structuring, helping clients navigate regulatory and resource constraints to capture the public value these businesses create.

Rachel will share practical insights into the most common structures used by social enterprises, including proprietary limited companies, companies limited by guarantee and incorporated associations, and discuss the factors that should inform your choice of structure.

Key topics will include:

• Whether a for-profit or not-for-profit model is the right fit for your enterprise.

• How funding sources, revenue models and growth plans can influence structure selection.

• Ways to embed and protect your social purpose.

• The benefits and limitations of different legal structures.

• When dual-structure models may (and may not) be appropriate.

Following a short introduction, the session will open into a Q&A, providing an opportunity to discuss your own circumstances, explore practical challenges and gain insights relevant to your social enterprise journey.

Whether you are starting out, reviewing your current structure or planning for growth, this session will help you make more informed decisions about the legal foundations of your enterprise.

All registrants will receive a recording of the information provided at the beginning of the session.