Check that it holds
Counsel for the board
A standing relationship, so the executive director has a number to call before the decision rather than after.
A board volunteers its evenings. We make those evenings count: bylaws that match practice, policies that are written down, and a lawyer who has read your file when a question comes up.
Some clients call twice a year. Others have us at the table for the quarterly meeting. Either way we tell you which questions the board can settle itself and which ones need a lawyer.
What standing counsel covers
The work that never makes a headline but keeps a nonprofit in good order.
- 01
Bylaws and board practice
Who can vote, how a quorum works, how officers are chosen and what the minutes should record.
- 02
Policies on paper
Conflict of interest, whistleblower, document retention and the others a funder or the IRS expects to see.
- 03
A small staff
Hiring the first employee, the difference between a volunteer and a worker, and a handbook that fits ten people.
- 04
Fundraising and filings
The rules on gift acknowledgments, raffles and registration, and a calendar of what is due and when.
- 05
When the board disagrees
A disagreement between directors, or between the board and a founder, handled early and in writing before it becomes a dispute.
- 06
Questions as they come
A short call before a decision, with the answer put in an email the board can keep.
Questions about ongoing counsel
How is standing counsel billed?
However suits the organization: a monthly amount for a set number of hours, or hourly as needed. We write the arrangement down before work starts.
Do you attend board meetings?
When it helps. Some boards invite us once a year; others for any meeting with a vote on money, property or staff.
Are board members personally responsible for the organization's debts?
Generally not for ordinary good-faith decisions, but it depends on the facts and on the state. We explain it to new directors in plain terms.
Bring us the document, or the idea
A short note is enough. A lawyer writes back to say whether this is something we can help with and what a first meeting involves.