Mission first.
A nonprofit’s legal problems arrive as deadlines: the Form 990 nobody has started, the conflict-of-interest disclosure nobody collected, the grant agreement with a clause the program staff never saw. We keep the calendar, read the paper, and sit with the board when the question is bigger than a filing.
Our services.
Formation & Exemption
The certificate of incorporation and the federal exemption application written so the purpose clause holds up years later, not just at filing.
Board Governance
Bylaws, conflict of interest policies, and fiduciary training that a working board will actually use, not shelve after the first meeting.
Compliance & Reporting
The annual return, the state charitable registration, and the filings that keep exemption intact, tracked before the deadline arrives.
Grant Agreements
Funder agreements and restricted-gift terms read closely enough that a program report matches what was actually promised.
Employment
Offer letters, executive compensation, and volunteer policies that hold up whether the person is paid staff or not.
Strategic Planning
Mergers, affiliations, and program expansions structured so the mission survives the transaction.
Who calls us.
Executive directors running the organization and the compliance calendar at the same time. Boards that inherited bylaws nobody has read since incorporation. Families forming a foundation who want it to outlast them. Grantmakers who need expenditure responsibility done properly.
Ideal Client Profiles
Clear scope. Predictable fees.
Most matters are handled on flat-fee or defined-scope engagements, confirmed in writing before any work begins.
501(c)(3) formation & exemption
Government filing fees additional.
Flat fee, typically $2,500–$5,000
Governance & policy packages
Flat fee, typically $1,500–$3,500
Compliance reviews
Defined-scope engagements from $1,000
Ongoing counsel
See General Counsel plans for details.
Monthly retainer plans from $1,499
Ranges are indicative and provided for general guidance only. Final fees depend on scope and complexity and are confirmed in a written engagement agreement before any work begins. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
How It Works
From first call to counsel
Complimentary consultation
A 15-minute call to understand your situation and confirm we’re the right fit.
Conflict check
We run a conflict check before any engagement — standard practice for every client we take on.
Engagement agreement
A plain-English written agreement defining scope, fees, and timing before any work begins.
Kickoff
We gather the documents and context we need and agree on priorities and next steps.
Counsel that keeps pace
Defined-scope matters run to completion; ongoing needs can move to a General Counsel plan.
Related insights
“Our board meetings used to have a permanent agenda item called ‘legal questions we can’t afford to ask.’ Retiring that line item changed how we govern. He treats a $2M nonprofit with the same seriousness as his companies, and he bills like he actually wants us to call.”
“We’d been meaning to set up the foundation for six years. What we didn’t expect was a lawyer who asked what we intended to fund before he asked how to structure it. He advises grantmakers through his philanthropic firm, so our governance came from someone who has watched these boards behave in year five — not just someone who knows how to get the determination letter.”
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Formation is the legal step of a broader launch path. Foundation administration after formation — governance operations, grants management, and the compliance calendar — is available from Meridian Philanthropic, an affiliated philanthropic services firm.
Established nonprofits that need the board office run rather than counsel — governance operations, compliance coordination, and funder reporting — are served by Meridian Philanthropic as well; their legal matters stay with this firm.
Written Disclosure
Meridian Philanthropic is a philanthropic services firm owned by this firm’s founder. It is not a law firm, and its administration, governance-operations, and advisory services are not legal services. Where a client engages both firms, the client agreement states which services are legal services provided by this firm and which are not, and you are always free to engage any counsel or any administrator you choose — or none at all.