Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, LLP

Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, LLP provides strategic legal advice and planning services to help our nonprofit clients adopt structures and operating mechanisms that simultaneously comply with legal regulations and maximize organizational effectiveness. Our clients, many of whom we have advised for more than a decade, range from large national and international organizations to small volunteer community groups. They include private foundations, public charities, advocacy and action organizations, associations, and PACs, as well as consultants, accountants, and businesses serving nonprofits.

Tax Law

Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, LLP helps nonprofit organizations obtain and keep their tax-exempt status at both the state and federal levels, and provides legal advice on:

Lobbying and political activities
Special rules governing private foundations
Relationships with and grants to overseas organizations
Charitable deductions for individuals
Relationships among affiliated organizations

Federal Election Law

Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, LLP provides advice on federal election law compliance, and represents organizations before the Federal Election Commission. Clients using the firm's services include nonprofit organizations with and without connected PACs, unconnected PACs and individuals, who frequently need advice about:

Independent expenditures
Contribution limits
Election-related activities that are not treated as political expenditures

General Counsel Services

Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, LLP addresses the full range of issues that arise in the course of running a nonprofit organization, including:

Lobbying Disclosure Act compliance
Trademark and copyright questions
Government grant conditions
Fundraising contracts and compliance with state and federal laws
Insurance issues
Contract and lease review and drafting

Employment Law

Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, LLP counsels nonprofit clients on personnel matters, drawing on lessons learned from its representation of individuals and emphasizing the prevention and resolution of employment disputes before they reach litigation.

Federal and state employment law compliance, including:

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
The Americans With Disabilities Act
The Family and Medical Leave Act

Personnel practices audits
Employee handbook preparation and review
Employee benefit plan advice
Contract preparation for employees and consultants
Severance agreement preparation and negotiation
Sexual harassment investigations

Internet Issues

Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, LLP advises clients about the emerging law of the Internet as it relates to nonprofits, including:

The application of established legal concepts such as IRS lobbying regulations and intellectual property law
Drafting and negotiating contracts for creating web pages and conducting business on and via the Internet and other electronic media

Nonprofit Navigator

Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, LLP believes avoiding legal problems is one of the best ways for a nonprofit to maximize its resources and preserve those resources for work on the organization's mission. To alert nonprofits to legal rulings and legislative proposals that could affect their operation, the firm publishes the Nonprofit Navigator, a monthly newsletter that includes:

Recent court decision analysis
IRS guidance on the activities of nonprofits
"Tax Tips" to help organizations make financially sound decisions
Federal Election Commission actions and rulings
Significant developments in employment law

Serving the Nonprofit Community

Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, LLP also serves the nonprofit community in a broader manner by:

Speaking to professional organizations about the legal issues facing tax-exempt organizations
Writing guides in layman's language to help nonprofits make sound operational decisions
Speaking at educational programs for nonprofit organizations, such as those sponsored by the Alliance for Justice's Nonprofit Advocacy Project