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Legal Resources for Nonprofits from Pro Bono Partnership

Written by grunin | Jan 26, 2023 7:56:00 PM

The goal of Grunin Capacity is to help nonprofits and nonprofit leaders accelerate their impact. In addition to our Catapult Institute events, we work to foster collaboration and amplify diverse leadership through an array of opportunities and resources. 

We have a great resource to share with you from Pro Bono Partnership.

Pro Bono Partnership is focused on reaching nonprofits that serve under-resourced communities in New Jersey (and CT and NY) that experience structural barriers to equity and capital.  

Christine Duffy, Program Director for the Pro Bono Partnership New Jersey Programs said, "We provide free transactional legal services to nonprofits that serve poor and disadvantaged populations, enabling them to more effectively feed the hungry, house the homeless, protect the civil rights of individuals, promote the arts, protect the environment, and provide essential programs to, among others, children, the elderly, individuals with disabilities, the unemployed, survivors of domestic or sexual abuse, immigrants, and veterans. Note that we do not provide legal services to individuals or engage in litigation. We help 501(c)(3) public charities with transaction matters."

Nonprofits that have a particular legal need may apply for assistance on the Pro Bono Partnership website, at https://www.probonopartner.org/nonprofits-clients/who-we-serve. To be eligible for their services, an organization needs to demonstrate that it is unable to pay for legal services without significantly impairing resources for programs. 

They provide non-litigation legal assistance in areas such as:

  • Corporate structure and governance
  • Contracts 
  • Employment law
  • Environmental law
  • Fundraising compliance
  • Intellectual property law
  • Real estate (including leases) 
  • Regulatory compliance (e.g., registration, annual reporting, charitable solicitation, lobbying, pay-to-play)
  • Tax law and tax exempt status

Here are some additional resources and ways to learn more about the services Pro Bono Partnership can provide: