Overview
Being a responsible steward sometimes entails asking the obvious. Lawyers generally raise great questions and are valued for their curiosity and ability to spot issues, often just by asking the right questions at the right time. However, sometimes lawyers with different expertise don’t know enough to ask about what’s most essential when it comes to serving nonprofits. This session introduces critical questions lawyers should ask (but often don’t) as fiduciaries of or advisors to nonprofits. This session also explores why these questions don’t get asked (or asked at the right time) and covers how these unasked questions can put organizations at risk.
Recorded in May 2026.
Part of the Nonprofit Law Series
For lawyers who want to learn more about how to help nonprofits meet the moment: check out the rest of our CLE series covering today’s hottest issues impacting nonprofits →
CREDIT HOURS
60-Minute States
Eligible for 1 hour
50-Minute States
Eligible for 1.2 hours
Credit hours are estimated and are subject to each state’s approval and credit rounding rules.
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Faculty
Thomas A. Tupitza, Esq.
Mr. Tupitza is a shareholder in the Erie-based law firm of Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett, P.C, having served as President of the firm, which also has offices in Pittsburgh and Jamestown, New York, from 2007 to 2026. He has advised nonprofits, private businesses, and public entities on governance, finance, and real estate matters for over 40 years, and is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New York. A past president of the Pennsylvania Association of Bond Lawyers, he is active as bond counsel in tax-exempt financing transactions.He is currently listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in four disciplines, having been named “Lawyer of the Year” in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area three times for Public Finance Law.He is a graduate of Westminster College and Harvard Law School, where he served as Executive Editor of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. An elected member of the American Law Institute, he participated in its Members Consultative Group for the Restatement of the Law, Charitable Nonprofit Organizations.He is a licensed consultant on the Standards for Excellence®: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector, and was an incorporator and long-time board member of The Nonprofit Partnership in Erie.He currently serves on the boards of The Erie Community Foundation (Chair), Westminster College (Past Chair), the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations, and The Jefferson Educational Society of Erie. He received the 2022 Tocqueville Award from United Way of Erie County.

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