Harmon Curran is a nationally recognized law firm providing nonprofit organizations with advice on tax exemption, lobbying, election-related activity, employment, and other legal matters facing organizations.
Founded as one of the country's first public interest law firms, Harmon Curran's core values remain consistent with those of the firm's clients, including strengthening citizen advocacy, achieving social and economic justice, expanding civil rights, and promoting environmental stewardship.
The firm helped establish many of the nonprofit peace, environmental and women’s rights groups that are now major institutions. Our firm won a national reputation for its strong and innovative expertise in the fields of nonprofit tax and election law, as well as environmental, employment, and affordable housing law.
While our reputation was built on our ability to help clients find inventive legal solutions in these areas, we have also always met our clients’ needs for legal assistance with the day-to-day “business” of running a nonprofit organization, providing help with corporate compliance, governance, leases, vendor contracts, grant agreements, and similar matters.
Our unique expertise at the intersection of the tax and election laws governing lobbying and political advocacy by nonprofit organizations provided leading nonprofit advocacy groups with critical guidance and continues to be a core aspect of our firm's practice today.
Harmon Curran is known for working closely with clients to identify and prioritize their legal needs and to develop effective strategies for working within the scope of their resources. Our practice is informed by our deep knowledge of our clients' cultures and affinity with their causes.
Our areas of expertise are:
- Nonprofit Organizations: The firm is highly skilled in creating nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations and ensuring that they remain in compliance with laws that apply to them at the federal, state, and local level. We can help from incorporating the new organization, through the IRS tax-exemption application, to providing ongoing general counsel services on matters from governance issues to contracts and more.
- Advocacy + Politics: The firm advises on the laws governing lobbying and election-related activity by tax-exempt organizations. Harmon Curran helps clients maximize their advocacy within the constraints imposed by each organization's tax-exempt status and the nuanced (and often changing) federal and state election laws.
- Employment: Harmon Curran assists nonprofit employers and individuals with legal issues related to the employment relationship, including advising on employment contracts, personnel policies, discrimination claims, leave, wage and hour issues, and other disputes.
- Environment + Nuclear Safety: The firm is widely known for its work on safety, environmental, and public disclosure issues raised by nuclear facility operation. The firm provides individuals and citizen groups with litigation and counseling services on the wide range of environmental issues including nuclear power plant licensing and waste disposal.
“A really first rate attorney is a problem avoider rather than a problem fixer. You are all that and then some. Your colleagues and staff are equally deserving of our thanks.”