Legal Services We Provide

Pro Bono Partnership is proud to be a member of Exponentum™ (www.exponentum.org), a national network of business law pro bono providers.

If your organization needs assistance with legal issues such as those listed below, visit our Request Legal Assistance page to get started. We will match your nonprofit with a volunteer lawyer who can help with your specific legal issue.

The Partnership also provides workshops and customized board trainings which address many of the important legal issues faced by nonprofits and the responsibilities of board members.

Applying for Tax Exemption

  • Evaluate if your organization is ready for tax exemption
  • Understand the pros and cons of forming a tax-exempt organization

Corporate Law and Governance

  • Form legal, tax-exempt entities
  • Understand the roles, responsibilities, and proper activities of a nonprofit board
  • Evaluate potential liabilities of board of directors
  • Operate within the law and its own bylaws
  • Draft or revise bylaws or articles of incorporation
  • File the necessary charitable registration, state and federal reports

Nonprofit Mergers and Consolidations

  • Create and structure affiliate relationships
  • Merge or enter into joint ventures
  • Understand collaborations

Contracts and Leases

  • Negotiate contracts with service providers, other nonprofits, or lessors

Intellectual Property

  • Register and protect trademarks
  • Copyright educational materials
  • Obtain releases or licenses

Real Estate

  • Acquire or sell real estate
  • Review or negotiate commercial or office lease
  • Negotiate financing agreements with lenders

General Employment

  • Prepare or update personnel manuals and policies
  • Understand ADA, FMLA, HIPAA, Title VII and other federal regulations
  • Review or prepare employment contracts
  • Understand laws on hiring, background checks, references, performance reviews, discipline, and terminations
  • Properly classify paid and volunteer staff; employees as exempt or non-exempt; workers as independent contractors or employees

Harassment Policies

  • Do we have a harassment policy that covers sexual, religious, racial and other forms of harassment?
  • When and how do we investigate a claim of harassment?
  • What harassment training should paid and volunteer staff receive?

Insurance and Risk Management

  • Understand risks your organization may face
  • Implement protections to address these risks
  • Get appropriate insurance protection, such as Directors & Officers liability insurance

Volunteers

  • Review laws that apply (or don’t apply) to volunteers
  • Screen potential volunteers?
  • Understand when, and how, a nonprofit organization can be held liable for the negligent acts of its volunteers
  • Understand the federal Volunteer Protection Act and what protections it affords for nonprofit agency volunteers (including volunteer board members)

Nonprofit Child Care Centers

  • Comply with state and federal laws
  • Make sure policies and procedures up to date and adequate to protect the center and employees

Fundraising and Revenue Generating Activities

  • Comply with fundraising laws and regulations
  • Properly register your organization to conduct fundraising
  • Appropriately report the donations to the IRS
  • Provide proper acknowledgements to donors

Political Activities

  • Understand what political activities are prohibited
  • Understand the rules about lobbying and advocacy activities

Privacy, Confidentiality and Liability

  • Disclose or prohibit from disclosing confidential client information
  • Respond to subpoenas and requests for records
  • Comply with HIPAA regulations