Our Practice
R&C provides general counsel assistance to business organizations, nonprofits, cooperatives, public agencies, public-private partnerships ("P3") entities and executive staff across the nation on federal and state regulatory matters, good governance practices, and risk assessment and management. We quickly get to know our clients’ businesses and are committed to protecting their best interests. We advise our clients on choice of business form, organizational governance, and board structures to prevent abuse or misuse of assets, establishing and maintaining arm’s-length relationships with affiliates and subsidiaries, corporate and affiliate best practices, proper use of federal funding sources, and procurement requirements.
Our Work
Our Corporate Counsel practice works with clients on strategic planning and governance models that will guide them for the long term. R&C attorneys work with CEOs, executive directors, governing boards and other organizational leaders to shape effective governance structures for their organizations that will realize short-term and long-term goals. R&C helps clients develop policies for decision-making and delegation from the governing bodies to the executives. Firm attorneys also assist corporations by drafting resolutions needed for corporate actions, opine regarding real or perceived conflicts of interest, and providing opinion letters for transactions or other organizational undertakings. Our attorneys advise clients on the federal laws dealing with nonprofit designations and local laws dealing with taxation of property owned by nonprofits, governmental agencies, quasi-governmental agencies and for-profits owning affordable housing. We help clients create 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations, Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs) and affiliates.
Why R&C?
R&C’s Corporate Counsel practice is uniquely positioned to offer services to businesses, nonprofits, cooperatives, public agencies, and executive staffs. We train and advise our clients on board member fiduciary duties, conflicts of interest, and effective delegation tools. We also help our clients decipher regulatory and ethical requirements concerning corporate decisions, and we work with audit committees and auditors, when necessary. In addition, R&C counsels our clients on structuring and operating related entities. R&C attorneys frequently represent public agencies who are working with affiliates formed to assist in affordable housing development, land acquisition, and other activities. This type of representation may include providing counsel on issues, such as conflict of interest, procurement, time and expense allocation, and related issues of particular concern to public entities utilizing affiliates. Our work with corporate clients includes drafting and filing organizational documents, obtaining federal tax exempt status and advising on maintaining that status, drafting governance policies, conducting organizational meetings, providing registered agent service, conducting and moderating corporate board retreats, and providing advice on federal and state government grant requirements, among other services. Our expertise in HUD law and regulation, rural development financing, and low income housing, historic, and new markets tax credits are utilized extensively by our corporate clients. Several of our corporate clients have been with our firm for more than 40 years.