Overview

Nonprofit organizations deserve legal advice they can call on. Whether they are considering new opportunities, navigating difficult dynamics or need help understanding and negotiating contract terms, nonprofits benefit most from having counsel who understand their business, their budgets and the specific issues they encounter.

Process

Most organizations do not look for outside counsel unless they feel they have to. Many relationships with counsel begin with organizations asking for assistance to fix a specific problem or consider a proposed transaction. Healthier organizations proactively screen for legal issues and invite periodic compliance checks, establishing relationships with counsel so that reliable advice is easily accessible when needed.

Capabilities

Here’s just a short list of the general counsel services we provide for nonprofits:

• Counsel on call for day-to-day and emergency matters

• Legal health screenings and compliance checks

• Litigation management and risk mitigation

• Mergers, acquisitions, affiliations, reorganizations, restructuring, and repositioning

• Advice on structuring joint ventures and other collaborative relationships

• Reviewing contracts to help organizations negotiate for better terms and to understand “industry standard” arrangements

• Strategically planning and prioritizing legal concerns

• Mapping of organizational infrastructure

• Designing systems for compliance

• HR matters (facilitating affordable review of employee handbooks, contracts and offer letters, employee benefit compliance, etc.)

• Real estate and tax matters

• Cemetery law matters

• Advice when considering new vendor relationships

• Tax-exempt compliance

• Advice on unrelated business activities

• Reviewing IRS Forms 990 and other registrations and regulatory filings

• Guidance on charitable giving and fundraising compliance

• Advice on handling governance, conflict of interest, and fiduciary matters

• Guidance through Founder transitions

• Bylaws review and revision

• Policy drafting and review