Areas of Practice

Startup - Non-profit & Social Enterprises

Navigating the process to become a tax-exempt organization is not easy. The IRS has a host of regulations with which organizations must comply in order to be approved for tax-exemption. The state has its own requirements, and yet still, the basic principles of corporate law apply in founding any company, including non-profits. We take pride in streamlining this process for our clients. We support our clients from the idea stage to founding, to full fledged operations. Sometimes, tax-exemption is not the ideal vehicle for carrying out your mission. We help clients navigate these choices, developing the filings, documents and infrastructure needed to make sure their company is set up for success.

General Counsel

The legal needs of non-profit and mission-driven organizations don’t disappear after startup. There are regulations, contract negotiations, legal filings, liability concerns and more. Yet, most mission-driven organizations don’t have the resources to hire attorneys on staff. This is where we come in. We help bridge this gap by providing legal services that meet your needs, at a pace that works for you. Whether reviewing and drafting contracts, navigating site-monitorings, or attending board meetings, we act as general counsel to help our clients best meet their legal obligations.

Liability & Risk

Even with the most altruistic intentions, non-profit organizations can face enormous risk in carrying out their services. Often, the key to managing this risk is good planning, solid policies and procedures, contracts and emergency response procedures. We help our clients assess their risk exposure, and address it on the front end so they are best positioned to avoid future liability and can carry out their services at ease.

Federal, State and Contractual Compliance

With exciting funding opportunities can come enormous compliance responsibilities. Often, the largest grants—from institutional funders or federal or state governments—come with long contracts and extensive oversight. We help our clients understand their contractual and legal obligations from funders, and develop the processes, policies and checks and balances to best assure they meet them. We help clients prepare for site-monitorings and audits, and make sure the right documentation is on hand to avoid findings and violations, essential so they continue to receive these life-sustaining funding streams.