This program is eligible for 1.5 hour of CLE credit in 60-minute states. In 50-minute states, this program is eligible for 1.8 hours of CLE credit. Credit hours are estimated and are subject to each state’s approval and credit rounding rules.
Overview
When they don’t engage in advocacy, lobbying, and other civic engagement activities to advance their missions, nonprofits not only miss out on opportunities for more impactful collaboration, additional funding, and legislative reform in support of their missions, but their silence can cause them harm.
Lawyers are uniquely positioned to help identify and understand the detrimental impact of these threats and missed opportunities. Lawyers also have the skills to empower nonprofits so that they may fully exercise their lobbying rights and leverage their resources to advance their charitable purposes without running afoul of political activity and lobbying laws.
And yet, attorneys tend to be overly cautious when advising charities, warning them to tread lightly rather than showing them how far they can go. By understanding the laws governing these activities and by connecting nonprofits with the right resources, lawyers can change outcomes for the nonprofits they advise.
Whether you are serving a nonprofit organization as a board member or in a paid or pro bono capacity, this session can help you confidently support nonprofits’ advocacy and lobbying efforts to make their voices heard and to make a profound impact for the communities they serve.
Faculty
Morgen Cheshire, Esq.
Morgen was named the 2024 Outstanding Nonprofit Lawyer of the Year by the American Bar Association and is a systemic thinker, dedicated to serving the legal needs of nonprofit organizations and revolutionizing how nonprofits access legal supports. She is the founder and managing attorney of the Cheshire Law Group, which was awarded the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Solo and Small Firm Section Award in 2024. Cheshire Law Group was launched in July 2011 to bring legal counsel within reach for nonprofit organizations, and in her daily practice, she exclusively serves as outside general counsel for nonprofits, helping them to manage their day-to-day and strategic legal needs effectively and affordably. Morgen is also the founder and managing editor of PAnonprofitlaw.com, a digital legal library launched in 2023 that offers resources that help make sense of legal complexities and accelerate and elevate the work of Pennsylvania’s nonprofit organizations and the professionals who serve them. PAnonprofitlaw.com includes tools that range from ready-to-use templates to informative guides to an annotated version of Pennsylvania’s Nonprofit Corporation Law (a 4th edition is coming in 2026!). Morgen also currently serves on the Public Policy Committee for the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) and is a member of the Pennsylvania Department of State Corporation Bureau Advisory Committee. Morgen earned her bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College, and her law degree from Temple University School of Law, cum laude, and spent her third year of law school at Columbia School of Law studying art law. She is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania and New York.
Beth Dougherty, Esq.
Beth Dougherty is the Director of Legal Education Initiatives at Cheshire Law Group in Philadelphia. Beth has advised a wide range of nonprofit organizations on all aspects of their activities, including formation and tax-exempt status, board governance, federal and state laws and regulatory compliance, mergers, affiliations, and fundraising compliance. She has also served on the boards of grassroots nonprofit organizations and worked directly in the nonprofit sector, supporting public education initiatives through the City of Philadelphia’s Community Schools Program and child health as a Project Coordinator at Children First. An active volunteer in her community, Beth has been involved with the East Passyunk Crossing Civic Association since 2008. She is a graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law, J.D., and New York University, B.A.
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Related Courses
International Business Law 2023
- City:
- Start Date:2023-03-12 20:00:00
- End Date:2025-03-12 20:00:00
- Length:
- Level:Intermediate
- Topics:Business
$249.00 ProPass
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