Serving Organizations that Advance the Common Good
Nonprofit Representation
Bredhoff & Kaiser represents a broad range of nonprofit organizations. For more than fifty years we have helped labor unions with the full range of their institutional needs. In recent years, we have come to represent many other types of nonprofits, including 501(c)(3)s, 501(c)(4)s, and taxable nonprofits. The firm is general counsel to numerous unions, Union Privilege (the AFL-CIO’s member benefits company), the BlueGreen Alliance, MoveOn, and Vital Healthcare Capital, among others, and provides diverse services to other unions, charities, professional associations, and advocacy groups.
The firm provides nonprofits with a full range of legal services, including such areas as initial establishment and ongoing governance tasks, IRS compliance, intellectual property and internet management issues, negotiation of commercial agreements, design and implementation of benefit programs, advising on employment issues, campaign finance compliance, and many others.
Establishment and Ongoing Governance.
The firm helps clients with the creation of new non-profits, including incorporation and qualification for tax exemption. And as counsel to organizations, we advise on all manner of day-to-day governance and internal management questions. In the past several years, we have helped establish a wide range of organizations, including a major union-environmental alliance, a community development loan fund, a clean economy advocacy organization, and an advocacy group for millennials. Many of these efforts have involved the creation of sister 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) arrangements.
Negotiation of Commercial Agreements.
Nonprofits often are faced with negotiating complex commercial agreements for telecommunications, Internet, software development, insurance coverage and more. We help clients reach deals that are fairly priced and that protect their interests in these complex business situations.
IRS Compliance.
Tax-exempt nonprofits face a special set of legal issues to ensure they receive and retain their tax exempt status. The firm provides both counseling and representation before the IRS in this area.
Intellectual Property Issues.
The firm assists its clients with both trademark and copyright issues. We negotiate trademark licensing arrangements, including helping clients to obtain fair royalties, comply with IRS requirements for ensuring the tax exempt treatment of such royalties, and protect the ownership of their marks. We work with entertainers, educators, and others to help them protect their creations and obtain fair value for their works.
Internet Management Issues.
Nonprofits experience a wide variety of often novel legal and managerial issues as they work to make effective use of the Internet. We help clients negotiate website development, hosting and other web-related contracts. We assist clients in crafting appropriate privacy policies and terms of use for their websites and acceptable email and Internet use policies for their employees.
Pension and Benefits.
As discussed more fully in the Benefits section, the firm assists nonprofits with all elements of employee benefits, from pension and welfare benefit plan designs to executive compensation arrangements.