NEO Law Group provides responsive, top quality client service to charities and other nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations in the areas of nonprofit law.

Contact us to learn how your nonprofit organization may benefit from first-rate, affordable counsel focused on helping nonprofits to further their missions with confidence.

Our Services

• Legal advice and counsel with respect to various aspects of nonprofit law, best practices, strategies to facilitate greater board participation and effectiveness in leading the organization, and protections against liability for nonprofit leaders.  Our areas of focus include:

- Starting a Nonprofit Organization

- Fiscal Sponsorship

- Obtaining and maintaining tax exempt (and public charity) status

- Nonprofit board duties and nonprofit corporate governance

- Charitable solicitation activities and registration requirements

- Advocacy & Lobbying

- Nonprofit risk management

- Earned income strategies and unrelated business income tax (UBIT)

- Organizational structuring (chapters, affiliates, subsidiaries)

- Collaborations and joint ventures

- Nonprofit Mergers & Acquisitions

- International philanthropy

- Private foundation laws

- Dissolution

- Social Enterprises

FOCUS: Nonprofit Mergers - We assist your California nonprofit organization with its strategic decision to merge with another organization, the board's understanding of the implications and responsibilities involved with such decision, the due diligence requirements, negotiations, drafting of the necessary documentation and agreements, and reporting to the requisite governmental authorities.

If your organization is considering a merger with another entity, it is critical to confer with a nonprofit attorney before you commit to the merger.  The board must meet, and document its fulfillment of, its legal responsibilities.  A good management consulting firm can greatly assist with the mechanics and negotiations involved in a merger.

Generally, an attorney may only represent one of the parties to a merger.  However, under certain limited conditions, where there is a clear alliance of interests after comprehensive negotiations and due diligence, a single attorney may represent both parties to a merger subject to signed waivers of the conflict.

Contact us now if you are contemplating or engaged in a nonprofit merger.

• Board trainings / Staff trainings - On-site presentations to nonprofit boards of directors and/or staff.  Activate your board with training by a nonprofit legal expert on board duties and responsibilities (they will respond!).  Empower your staff by giving them the knowledge they need to do their work with confidence.  Strengthen your organization's health - a more involved board and knowledgable staff will result in improved fundraising and a greater capacity to further your mission.  It's amazing how much benefit a 90 minute or two-hour training can provide to an organization. 

Contact us now to set up a training session tailored to your organization's needs by a nonprofit legal expert.

• Document preparation and review:

- Articles of incorporation.

- Nonprofit Bylaws.

- Conflict of interest policy.

- Code of ethics.

- Gift acceptance policy.

- Document retention / destruction policy.

- Whistleblower policy.

- Federal and California tax exemption applications.

- Contracts and legal agreements, such as fiscal sponsorship agreements and grant agreements.

- Merger & acquisition documents.

- Dissolution documents.

FOCUS: Nonprofit Bylaws Review - We review your existing California nonprofit bylaws for consistency with the law, the organization's current governance practices, and best practices. 

If your organization hasn't had its bylaws or its governance practices critically reviewed by a nonprofit attorney, now is the time.  More than ever before, the IRS, other governing authorities, foundations, donors, and the media are scrutinizing nonprofits, their governance policies, and their compliance with the law.  The new Form 990 annual information return will require filing organizations to disclose the nature of their governance policies, and you'll want to ensure that the board has considered the governance-related questions and the recommended policies. 

Contact us now to get your bylaws reviewed by an attorney who understands the rapidly changing landscape of nonprofit law and who focuses his practice on serving nonprofits.

Your Responsibilities

You can make a difference for your nonprofit organization by learning how to deal with applicable nonprofit laws to your organization's advantage.  Your role in leading a nonprofit as an executive or a director (board member) must take into account:

1. whether you are organized and operating in compliance with all applicable laws;

2. whether you have adequately educated your leaders on how to meet their legal obligations; and

3. whether you should implement certain best practices in board governance and nonprofit operations to improve your capacity to further your mission.

Benefits of Engaging Proper Counsel

Retaining the services of the right attorney who is experienced at working with nonprofits and is on top of the rapidly changing landscape of nonprofit laws can result in the following benefits:

• More effective governance and support to the organization by the board.

• Less exposure to liability (to the organization and its individual managers and directors).

• Greater confidence and efficiency in operations.

• Improved recruiting of executive staff and board members.

• Expanded opportunities for lobbying and earned income.

Nonprofit Law Essentials

Brief summaries of critical nonprofit legal issues.

Nonprofit Law Resources

List of links to web sites and other resources.