Non-profit organizations have experienced exponential growth in the last few decades. With this expanded role in today’s economy comes a unique set of challenges, including a wide range of tax-related issues.

Nexsen Pruet’s tax attorneys guide tax-exempt clients through the complex maze of federal and state rules and regulations that apply to tax-exempt organizations. From obtaining tax-exempt status to properly responding to an IRS inquiry, our team collaborates with non-profit clients to achieve their mission.

Experience with many types of entities

Our tax team represents non-profit organizations and public charities of all sizes. Our clients include large public hospitals, nursing homes, schools, church-related organizations, local animal rescue groups, theaters and others.

We also represent governmental entities and their affiliated, tax-exempt organizations. Those include groups created to promote economic development, trade associations, cooperatives, supporting organizations and private foundations.

We assist tax-exempt organizations during all phases of their existence, from initial formation to their dissolution. We also regularly counsel existing tax-exempt organizations on a variety of ongoing compliance requirements, such as:

• Following good governance practices
• Adopting conflict of interest policies
• Avoiding private inurement and excess benefit transactions
• Satisfying applicable reporting and disclosure requirements
• Understanding unrelated business taxable income issues
• Structuring joint venture arrangements
• Addressing lobbying limitations
• Assisting with the formation of Political Action Committees (PACs)
• Avoiding penalty taxes

Legal insight to support your goals

Our knowledge of tax-exempt organization issues enables our team of tax attorneys to better advise you about the tax-exempt finance and employee benefits rules that only apply to tax-exempt organizations.

We can also take your charitable giving initiatives from start to finish by establishing a private foundation as part of your estate plan. Our tax attorneys work with the IRS on a daily basis, and can help you address IRS challenges to tax-exempt status or related matters.

Nexsen Pruet recognizes the importance of having lawyers that reflect the broad diversity within our client base, our jury system, our colleagues, and our community at large.  To that end, we are committed to recruiting minority candidates, reducing minority attrition, supporting minority organizations, and expanding and improving our diversity program.  We also recognize that the pursuit of a diverse workplace is, and should be, ongoing. 

As a means of promoting these interests, we created the Nexsen Pruet Diversity Scholarship Program. Prior to creating the scholarship, we completed a written plan that identified methods by which the firm could recruit, hire, and retain minority lawyers. The plan includes expanding our recruitment efforts to other law schools, increasing recruitment of lateral minority and female candidates, and continuing to develop and enhance our relationships with minority law organizations such as the Black Law Students Association.  Our goal is to identify qualified minority candidates who may be potential members of the firm.

Nexsen Pruet understands the need for and value of increased diversity, and we are strengthening and building upon our commitment to provide an inclusive environment within our firm.  As such, we will maintain a continuing focus on doing whatever we can to achieve the important and necessary goal of diversity.

Nexsen Pruet Diversity Scholarship

Strengthening the Lawyers of Tomorrow...Today

   The Nexsen Pruet Diversity Scholarship aims to:  

• Support diversity within our firm and the bar  
• Enhance educational opportunities for talented minorities in the field of law  
• Inform minority law students of opportunities for private practice in the Carolinas   

The Scholarship Program will award $3000 to one or more exceptional first year minority law students planning a career in North or South Carolina.   

All scholarship recipients will be considered for summer employment in one of the Nexsen Pruet offices upon completion of their first year of law school.  Scholarship recipients are invited to re-apply for additional scholarships during their second and third years of law school.   

 Eligible students must be attending one of the following schools:

• University of North Carolina School of Law
• University of South Carolina School of Law
• Wake Forest University School of Law 
• North Carolina Central University School of Law 
• Charleston School of Law
• Charlotte School of Law