Our Not-for-Profit Practice Group unites a powerful blend of collective expertise from across our Firm to most effectively counsel not-for-profit clients in addressing the challenges faced by both new and established organizations. Our attorneys counsel not-for-profit organizations operating in a wide range of industries in the United States and internationally, providing practical and thoughtful advice tailored to their business and circumstances, and bringing to bear specialized knowledge of the not-for-profit sector developed through a breadth of experience. Our clients cover the spectrum of not-for-profit organizations in terms of mission, industry, size and complexity, and include public charities, private foundations, religious groups, educational institutions, professional and industry associations, healthcare organizations and public authorities.

Through the Not-for-Profit Practice Group, Weil offers a full-service, one-stop shop for advice in connection with the entire “life-cycle” of a not-for-profit organization, from formation, structure, operations, governance and management through merger, combination, liquidation or dissolution. Our counsel addresses issues relating to tax, governance, M&A, joint ventures, intellectual property, real estate, finance, D&O liability, employment/labor, investigations, litigation and restructuring. We are widely recognized as a premier provider of legal services to not-for-profit organizations and a thought-leader, and many of our attorneys bring an added dimension to their practice through service on not-for-profit boards or in executive leadership positions.

In cooperation with our Pro Bono Committee, Weil’s Not-for-Profit Practice Group hosts an annual Not-for-Profit Governance Symposium. This innovative event was first held in 2005 and has become a marquee event for directors, trustees and executives working with not-for-profit organizations. The Symposium includes panels and discussions that bring together our deep expertise across the Firm relating to not-for-profit governance and related challenges, offering insights in an era of heightened expectations, rigorous regulatory scrutiny and financial stress. Our widely recognized pre-eminence in not-for-profit work and our related ability to attract  the leaders within the not-for-profit community ensures that we attract speakers and attendees from a range of prestigious organizations every year.

Our 2014 Symposium was titled “Governing Not-For-Profits in 2014” and was held at our offices in New York. The event culminated with a conversation featuring Weil senior partner and noted corporate governance thought-leader Ira M. Millstein and Joseph C. Daniels, Chief Executive Officer and President of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center Foundation, Inc. The discussion was particularly timely given the recent opening of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and associated challenges and scrutiny. The 2014 Symposium focused on fiduciary duties and the role of not-for-profit directors as defined by current law and standards, including the recently enacted New York Nonprofit Revitalization Act.

In addition to hosting our annual Symposium, we actively contribute to not-for-profit thought-leadership through the annual publication of our Guide to Not-for-Profit Governance. The Guide, certainly among the (if not “the”) most comprehensive and practical compilations of essential materials relevant to the not-for-profit community, is essential reading for not-for-profit founders, members, directors, and managers, and includes articles, annotated “best practice” sample forms and checklists focused on facilitating effective oversight, accountability and transparency, including in times of financial stress, to enable not-for-profit organizations to run smoothly and stay on mission.

Download the 2017 Guide to Not-For-Profit Governance (PDF).