Davis Wright Tremaine LLP’s Tax-Exempt Organizations group, led by Jean Tom in San Francisco, maintains a nationally recognized practice dedicated to the corporate, tax, and regulatory needs of nonprofits, foundations, and philanthropic donors. The team advises clients throughout their lifecycle, from formation and tax-exempt qualification to complex restructurings, grantmaking programs, and commercial transactions. It is particularly noted for operating at the intersection of charity and technology, counseling on AI deployment in mission-driven programs, blockchain-based giving platforms, and fintech compliance, including California’s AB 488. Tom advises nonprofits, foundations, and donors on complex federal tax and regulatory matters, with particular strength at the intersection of philanthropy and technology, including AI, fintech platforms, and innovative charitable structures. Other key lawyers include Seattle-based Tom Schroeder, who counsels organizations across their full lifecycle on formation, tax qualification, reorganizations, governance and advocacy. Kevin Roe strengthens the firm’s East Coast presence, advising public charities and foundations on governance, grantmaking, and sophisticated investment and endowment strategies.

Loeb & Loeb LLP’s Nonprofits & Tax-Exempt Organizations Practice is a leading national team advising nonprofit organizations on complex regulatory, transactional, governance, and compliance matters. The firm represents public charities, private foundations, educational and cultural institutions, social welfare organizations, and trade associations, guiding clients through IRS and state attorney general compliance, audits, internal investigations, executive compensation, cause marketing, corporate philanthropy, and strategic transactions, including mergers, joint ventures, and program-related investments. The practice is co-headed by Jason Lilien (New York) and Diara Holmes (Washington DC). Lilien advises on governance, compliance, charitable giving, internal investigations, and high-profile transactions, having overseen landmark enforcement matters and complex trust and estate settlements, while Holmes, with 25 years of experience, counsels prominent public charities, social justice advocacy groups, and educational and cultural institutions, and supports corporations and high-net-worth clients on philanthropic programs, cause marketing, and corporate sponsorships. Key lawyers include Washington DC-based Meghan Biss, who leverages over a decade of IRS experience to guide organizations through audits, investigations, and tax planning, and Kimberley Eney, who advises private foundations, family offices, and public charities on governance, Chapter 42 compliance, impact investing, structuring tax-exempt entities, and complex grant and joint venture arrangements.

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP covers the full spectrum of issues affecting exempt organizations, including tax and governance, private foundation compliance, endowment management, international grantmaking, advocacy and political activity, mergers and restructurings, regulatory investigations, and complex corporate transactions. Situated within a full-service corporate and litigation platform, the department integrates expertise in employment, executive compensation, intellectual property, investigations, litigation, real estate, trusts and estates, and tax to deliver coordinated, institution-wide advice. Laura Butzel, based in New York, leads the Tax-Exempt Organizations team. She advises private foundations, public charities, universities, and parallel charitable and social welfare entities on governance, complex structuring, joint ventures, regulatory investigations, major asset transactions, foreign subsidiaries, and large-scale estate administrations implicating self-dealing and excess business holdings rules. New York-based Robin Krause is a key partner in the practice, advising charities, foundations, donor-advised funds, family offices, and corporate philanthropies on tax planning, governance, complex gift structuring, program-related investments, lobbying compliance, board training, leadership transitions, and risk management strategies across domestic and international contexts. John Sare retired from the firm effective January 2026.

Headquartered in New York, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP has extensive experience providing not-for-profits with strategic tax advice within their legal and regulatory framework. The firm represents a diverse range of clients across a wide range of issues and is particularly experienced in private foundations, endowment, investment matters, donor-advised funds, complex gifts, domestic and international grantmaking, and corporate philanthropy. Based in New York and Los Angeles, David Shevlin serves as the head of the Exempt Organizations Practice. Shevlin advises a variety of international and domestic exempt organizations, such as private foundations and public charities, in a wide range of matters. Also in New York, John Bennett is a key partner in the firm’s exempt organizations practice and is also head of the group’s endowment advisory practice. Bennett represents endowed universities, foundations, hospitals, and institutional investors in connection with a broad range of investment activities.

Venable LLP‘s Nonprofit Organizations practice is the largest of its kind in the United States, advising more than 700 nonprofit clients ranging from leading national charities to influential trade and professional associations. Structured as a distinct nonprofit-focused practice rather than a traditional tax group, the team offers true one-stop shop for legal support across governance, tax, advocacy, fundraising, employment, IP, mergers, and regulatory compliance. The group is particularly noted for its work with public charities, private foundations, advocacy and social welfare organizations, and nonprofit entities in the entertainment sector. Based out of Washington DC, practice head George E Constantine  specializes his practice exclusively on providing legal counseling and advocacy to nonprofit organizations and has represented Internal Revenue Code § 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), and 501(c)(6) clients on a number of critical tax-exemption matters, including clients that are undergoing Internal Revenue Service examinations challenging their exempt status. Other key team members include DC-based Janice Ryan who provides expertise in lobbying and political compliance while New York-based Lindsay Nathan‘s practices span tax exemption, political law, and high-profile advocacy.

ArentFox Schiff’s Nonprofits & Associations practice, led in Washington DC by Brian Schneider, Sean Glynn, and Shira Helstrom, is a longstanding adviser to tax-exempt organizations nationwide. With more than 70 years in the sector and one of the largest nonprofit teams in the US, the group counsels trade associations, private foundations, research institutions, cultural organizations, healthcare entities, and advocacy groups across their full lifecycle - from formation and tax-exempt qualification to complex operational, financing, and governance matters. The team is particularly noted for its strength in tax-exempt bond financing and nonprofit real estate transactions, handling approximately 80% of such financings in Washington DC. Sean co-leads the group, focusing on complex financings, restructurings, and regulatory matters; Shira advises on tax compliance, governance, and IRS and attorney general investigations; and Brian serves as outside general counsel to numerous trade associations, advising on governance, antitrust, transactions, and strategic restructuring initiatives.

Arnold & Porter’s Tax practice is co-headed by James Joseph in Washington, DC and Laurie Abramowitz in New York, overseeing a 30-lawyer team spanning Tax-Exempt Organizations, Private Client Services, Transactional Tax and Executive Compensation & Benefits. The Tax-Exempt Organizations group is widely recognized for advising nonprofits, philanthropists, and mission-driven enterprises on formation, governance, complex collaborations, impact investing, and regulatory compliance, frequently partnering with government contracts colleagues on federally funded initiatives. Joseph is a leading adviser on tax-exempt formation and operations, counseling public charities, private foundations, international NGOs, and trade associations on structuring complex programs, lobbying and political activity, and venture philanthropy transactions. The team represents prominent medical research institutes and major foundations, providing integrated advice on governance, grantmaking, IP licensing, advocacy, and enforcement risk in an increasingly scrutinized regulatory environment.

Holland & Knight’s Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Organizations Team is among the largest and most sophisticated in the United States, advising a broad spectrum of clients, including colleges and universities, donor-advised funds, community foundations, museums, healthcare providers, public and private charities, religious organizations, and trade associations. The team is recognized for its work with high-profile, It handles governance, compliance, charitable giving, restructurings, and strategic transactions, while leveraging technology-driven tools such as state charitable registration portals and comprehensive legal audits to improve efficiency, transparency, and oversight. The team is co-headed by Dallas-based Jonathan Blum and David Rosenberg, while Jason Havens and Kelly Hellmuth, are based in Jacksonville; they provide national guidance on regulatory, operational, and strategic matters. Furthermore, Dallas-based lawyer Andrew Grumet brings more than 25 years of experience advising nonprofits globally, serving on boards, acting as an outsourced CEO, and leading transformative projects.

Seyfarth Shaw LLP‘s Tax-Exempt Organization practice is distinguished by its ability to marry technical tax precision with a sophisticated transactional perspective. Representing a diverse roster of clients from multi-billion-dollar healthcare systems and universities to private foundations, the firm provides a ‘one-stop shop’ for complex regulatory and corporate needs. The team excels in high-stakes reorganizations, including the conversion of for-profit career colleges and hospitals into tax-exempt entities. By leveraging the firm’s premier employee benefits and labor groups, Seyfarth offers holistic guidance on executive compensation, 501(r) compliance, and IRS controversy representation. Practice head Ofer Lion, based in Los Angeles, provides a unique, transactional tax lens to the non-profit sector, specializing in M&A, joint ventures, and international grant-making. Alongside a dedicated bench of associates, Lion is a go-to counselor for boards navigating fiduciary duties, internal investigations, and complex private foundation excise tax regulations.

Since its founding in 2020, Tenenbaum Law Group PLLC has become a nationally recognized boutique devoted exclusively to advising nonprofit organizations across the US. Based in Washington DC, the firm serves as outside general counsel to a range of clients, delivering practical, business-minded guidance grounded in a deep understanding of nonprofit operations and regulatory complexity. Managing Partner Jeffrey Tenenbaum brings more than 30 years of exclusive nonprofit experience, advising boards and executives on high-stakes regulatory, governance, and enforcement matters. Co-Founder Nisha Thakker complements this strength with incisive, pragmatic counsel informed by extensive in-house experience, particularly in governance, ethics enforcement, and complex contracting for associations and mission-driven organizations. Additionally, Holly Peterson brings significant experience advising nonprofit and association clients at the intersection of employment, governance, and risk management. Drawing on her litigation and in-house background, she has expanded the firm’s nonprofit-focused employment practice, counseling on employee policies, workplace investigations, discrimination and accommodation matters.

BakerHostetler advises tax-exempt organizations and charitable entities on federal and state tax, governance, transactions, and compliance. The team works with a broad range of tax-exempt entities, including public charities, private foundations, donor-advised funds, educational and healthcare institutions, cultural and religious organizations, and advocacy and humanitarian groups. Their work spans tax-exempt formation and structuring, IRS audits and appeals, charitable giving and governance matters, and complex transactions including mergers, joint ventures, restructurings, and insolvency, alongside advice on nonprofit investments, operational issues, and regulatory risk. The Tax-Exempt Organizations and Charitable Giving The team is led by Washington DC-based Alexander Reid, who focuses on tax controversy, planning, and transactional matters and brings prior government experience. He is supported by DC-based Matthew Elkin, who advises on nonprofit transactions, impact investing, fiduciary duties, and governance, and Cleveland-based Chad Makuch, who represents ultra-high-net-worth families, family offices, and foundations on complex philanthropic and estate planning matters.

Sheppard’s Nonprofit Team is recognized for advising tax-exempt organizations across their full life cycle, from formation and exemption to complex transactions, restructurings, and dissolution. The team is frequently engaged on sophisticated, high-stakes matters, including large-scale joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and for-profit/nonprofit conversions, particularly within the healthcare sector. Drawing on deep industry knowledge, the group advises hospitals, academic medical centers, research institutes, foundations, and cultural institutions on governance, compliance, and transactional strategy, delivering pragmatic guidance tailored to mission-driven objectives. Tamar Rosenberg focuses exclusively on nonprofit law, advising clients on federal tax-exemption requirements, corporate governance, and charitable regulation. Her practice spans both healthcare and non-healthcare nonprofits, encompassing day-to-day compliance, complex transactions, and support in bankruptcy and litigation matters.