| LaVerne Woods chairs the firm's Tax-Exempt Organizations (TEO) group. She has over 20 years of experience in working with the nonprofit sector and is a frequent writer and speaker in the area both nationally and regionally. Her practice spans a broad range of issues affecting charities, including federal tax exemption, governance, endowment management, mergers and joint ventures. She has a special interest in healthcare, social entrepreneurism and international philanthropy. LaVerne represents organizations across the nonprofit spectrum, including: family and corporate foundations, community foundations, supporting organizations, global health and relief organizations, hospitals, health plans, colleges and universities, charitable trusts, social service and arts organizations, trade associations and government agencies.
Practice Highlights
- Family Philanthropy - Represents family foundations of all sizes in federal tax planning and compliance
- Corporate Philanthropy - Advises corporations on giving initiatives through company foundations and corporate philanthropy
- Unrelated Business Income - Provides planning advice and opinion letters regarding unrelated trade or business activities
- Grantmaking Compliance - Designs and implements grantmaking compliance programs for private foundations, community foundations and donor-advised funds
- Governance - Provides comprehensive review of governing documents and policies and advises on restructuring options
- Controversies - Represents tax-exempt organizations in IRS challenges to tax-exempt status and state Attorney General investigations
- International Philanthropy - Establishes "friends of" organizations to support foreign charities and designs options to facilitate cross-border grantmaking and giving
- Major Gifts - Works with charities and donors to structure major endowment and operational gifts
- Executive Compensation - Designs compensation packages and approval procedures in satisfaction of IRS and state law reasonableness standards
Additional Qualifications Professional and Community Activities
- Past Chair, Exempt Organizations Committee, Section of Taxation, American Bar Association
- Co-chair, Private Foundations Subcommittee, Exempt Organizations Committee, Section of Taxation, American Bar Association
- Immediate Past Chair, Board of Advisors, National Center on Law and Philanthropy, New York University Law School
- Committee on Government Submissions, Section of Taxation, American Bar Association
- Co-convener, Legal Work Group advising the Independent Sector’s Panel on the Nonprofit Sector
- American Law Institute
- American Health Lawyers Association
- Past Chair, Nonprofit Corporations Committee, Business Section, Washington State Bar Association
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Professional Recognition
- Named as one of “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business” in Corporate/Commercial: Tax (Washington) by Chambers USA, 2006-2009
- Named as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” in Tax Law by Woodward/White, 2001-present; and in Nonprofit Charitable Law 2007-present
- Selected to "Washington Super Lawyers,” Law & Politics, 2007-2009
- Selected to "Top 40 Female Washington Super Lawyers," Law & Politics, 2008
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Education J.D., Harvard Law School, 1983, cum laude Fulbright Scholar, Dakar, Senegal, 1978-79 B.A., Yale University, 1978, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa | |