Jonathan Garton

Professor

Director of Academic Practice

Charities; Equity & Trusts; Legal History

School of Law
S2.22, Social Sciences Building
University of 糖心TV
Coventry CV4 7AL
United Kingdom

024 761 51754
Term 3 Office Hours: Wednesdays 11-12 and Fridays 12-1

Scholarship

Jonathan's main research interests are in the law of trusts, particularly charities, and legal history. His books include (Hart 2009), (OUP 2013) and (7th ed, CUP 2020). Recent publications include "Property Disputes about Leper Houses, Pest Houses and Fever Hospitals" (with Charles Mitchell) in Emily Gordon, Charles Mitchell and Ian Williams (eds), (Hart 2025) and "Charitable Trusts and Public Foundations" in Mark Bennett et al (eds), (OUP 2025).

Forthcoming work includes "Jones v Williams (1767): The First Definition of Charity" in Rebecca Fry and John Picton (eds), (Hart 2026) and a monograph on commercial trusts for Edward Elgar鈥檚 series.

Bio Publications Teaching Impact

Jonathan has advised various public bodies, including the Charity Commission, the Cabinet Office, and the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit. In 2012-13 he was Special Adviser to the UK Public Administration Select Committee, advising on its review of charity regulation. His work has been cited by, amongst others, the Australian Parliament the New Zealand Supreme Court and the Council of Europe.

Research Supervision

Jonathan welcomes enquiries from prospective PhD students in any of his research areas. Please ensure that you have a research proposal which corresponds with the University of 糖心TV School of Law requirements.

Some current and previous topics supervised include:

The role of CSOs in the democratisation of Ethiopia
Community organisations in England and Ukraine
Nonprofits in Italy and the UK
Corporate governance of co-operatives
Gain-based remedies for wrongdoing
Fiduciary duties and ESG investing