Non-Profit Organizations and Trade Associations

Non-Profit Organizations include national organizations of physicians and surgeons, a national amateur athletic association, civic organizations, charitable groups, educational institutions and foundations and religious groups, including the Atlanta archdiocese of a major religious group.

Typical help for those clients includes the following:

• Tax planning to maintain tax-exempt status and to avoid unrelated business income tax
• Employment issues, including compliance with federal, state and local laws regarding employee discipline, discharge, and compensation
• Antitrust counseling to avoid claims that a trade association has violated federal and state antitrust laws in its meetings among competitors or in its standard-setting
• Trademark filing and litigation to protect the organization's trademarks against infringement
• Assisting in governance of the organization, such as by-laws issues, membership meetings, and actions by the board of directors
• Protecting trade and professional associations and their members from disparagement and unfair trade practices
• Appearing before federal and state regulatory agencies to advance the interests of non-profit organizations and their members
• Disputes with hotels and convention centers about meetings
• Internal dispute-resolution activities, such as arbitration among members
• Tax-exempt bond financing for non-profit corporations

Smith Gambrell & Russell also works closely with lobbyists to advance the interests of clients in the legislative process.

More than a dozen lawyers in the Firm spend a substantial part of their time assisting non-profit organizations in legal matters.