Good Counsel: Meeting the Legal Needs of Nonprofits

by Lesley Rosenthal

A concise overview of the legal needs of nonprofit organizations Good Counsel is a compact and personable overview of the legal needs of nonprofits, crafted by one of America's most astute nonprofit general counsels. The book distills the legal needs of the 1.8 million tax-exempt organizations in the United States.Written in a clear and accessible style, with plenty of humor and storytelling as well as illustrative case studies, Good Counsel explains the basics of nonprofit corporate law, governance, and the tax exemption. It then takes a department-by-department look at legal topics relevant to program, fundraising, finance, communications, human resources, operations, contracts, government relations, and more. Good Counsel is designed help organizations fulfill their missions to do the public good. Designed to impart confidence and demystify the issues, Good Counsel is a must-read for nonprofit professionals and board members as well as lawyers and law students. Using Good Counsel as their playbook, lawyers, executives, and trustees can get an overview of the most common legal, governance, and compliance issues facing their organization and together ramp up a top-notch legal function. Good Counsel is the first-of-its-kind guidebook written by the sitting General Counsel of a major nonprofit. Written by influential author, speaker, and Bar leader Lesley Rosenthal, the General Counsel of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Good Counsel shares the insights of a Harvard Law School graduate with years of in-house and business law experience as well as board service.

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Rose Merritt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really is THE resource for nonprofit in-house counsel and legal directors (such as myself). I’ve dog eared and marked up a bunch of its content, and I refer back to it continually. It’s my bible in many ways. I have serious respect for the author in setting out to develop this reference work - I know it’s really helped me to frame and understand the work I’ve been doing for startup nonprofits for years now.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an impossible book to rate. It's a very good overview of nonprofit law, but not something I would recommend to anyone who isn't in or interested in the field.

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Approachable risk-management text for non-lawyers working in leadership roles in nonprofit organizations.

[John Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upon the advice of my brother the lawyer, I started reading this book bit by bit over the last few months. Every time I finished a chapter, I would encounter the very challenges outlined in the book! Written in straightforward and often humorous tones, this book is for lawyers and anyone working in non-profit corporations. I especially recommend this book to young priests and pastors of all denominations who need to learn about administration. Following the advice and understanding the generalities of non-profit law will make your church run better and more professionally.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a high-level overview of nonprofit legal issues that is helpful for issue spotting.