Tax-Exempt Organizations
Counsel with a passionate commitment to the not-for-profit sector
Capabilities at a glance
- Broad legal experience with the operations and objectives of a myriad of tax-exempt organizations, including private grant-making foundations and a variety of hybrid and for-profit entities connected to the sector.
- Attorneys who also are thought leaders in the not-for-profit sector, and actively involved in serving their communities through volunteer and leadership work.
Practical legal advice and first-hand familiarity with your needs
As part of a full-service firm with offices across the country, we blend the responsive, focused attention of a boutique practice with the resources of a national firm, offering common sense solutions to complex legal concerns. This practical attitude is coupled with our attorneys' exceptional legal knowledge and extensive real-world experience. It also has given us a unique perspective on the challenges and concerns of today's not-for-profit leaders. We do more than protect our clients' legal interests: We serve as advisors on a range of issues with which we have considerable first-hand familiarity.
Legal counsel customized to the unique needs of tax-exempt organizations
Our clients come from nearly every area of the philanthropic sector. We work extensively with many grantmaking foundations whose daily philanthropic activities touch the lives of individuals worldwide, as well as smaller, mission-specific and family foundations. Our attorneys have considerable real-world experience with the challenges and opportunities facing not-for-profits. In addition to our work on behalf of our clients, we are committed to serving our communities through volunteer and leadership positions in a range of organizations.
Experience
- Structuring articles of incorporation, bylaws and other governance documents.
- Securing and maintaining tax-exempt status.
- Providing advice regarding corporate procedures and governance.
- Assisting with grantmaking issues and documentation.
- Addressing investment policies and procedures, investment management contracts, and alternative and other investment documents.
- Analyzing self-dealing, excess benefit transactions and private benefit issues.
- Preparing and reviewing conflict-of-interest policies.
- Addressing employment and employee benefit matters.
- Reviewing leases and other contracts.
- Assisting with respect to tax-exempt financing.
- Advising regarding internet and intellectual property matters.
- Addressing software licensing, copyright, trademark, patent and computer law issues.
- Assisting charities with fundraising activities, such as charitable solicitation compliance and charity gaming.
- Working with institutions to implement creative planned giving strategies.
- Assisting organizations with tax-reporting requirements and ongoing compliance with tax and charitable organization laws.
- Securing rulings and determinations from the IRS.
- Addressing issues concerning regulation by state attorneys general, including annual reporting.
- Providing advice on permissible lobbying, political activity and other advocacy matters.
- Assisting with government relations and related legal compliance.
- Structuring affiliated organizations and other complex structures.
- Planning and implementing mergers, liquidations and other strategic restructurings.
- Structuring divisions of private foundations.
- Advising on processing of charitable bequests.
- Advising on tax compliance and trust issues for charitable lead/charitable remainder trusts.
- Advising donors and charities in major gift agreements and reporting requirements.
Successes
- Advised a trust on the distribution of more than $24 million in charitable distributions.
- Assisted a client in forming a new foundation and obtaining IRS tax exemption within weeks of filing for such status.
