Indianapolis, IN—Charitable Allies, a nonprofit legal aid law firm, celebrated their 1000 client mark in June, tripling in size from 2019 to 2022. During the pandemic, demand for their services exploded as nonprofits struggled to survive.
Charitable Allies assisted these tax-exempt organizations by helping them navigate complex legal issues. These concerns commonly include issues of compliance, litigation and helping nonprofit founders acquire 501(c)(3) status for new charitable organizations.
“To say I’m thrilled would be an understatement,” Managing Attorney and CEO Zachary Kester said. “When I think about the range of nonprofits we serve, from those helping human trafficking survivors to animal rescues or schools, it humbles me. To play a part in mobilizing all this good work is incredibly rewarding.”
Kester founded the Indianapolis-based firm in 2013 after he noticed a lack of affordable, high-quality legal services for small and mid-sized nonprofits. Today, the firm employs five attorneys who serve nonprofit organizations and their stakeholders in 47 states. 352 of those clients are nonprofits in Indiana.
Charitable Allies provides nonprofits with comprehensive legal services and education using a “low-bono” model. Kester attributes much of the firms’ growth to both technological innovation and the need for accessible legal assistance in the nonprofit sector.
“Many large nonprofits can easily afford legal advice that pertains specifically to them as tax-exempt organizations, leaving smaller nonprofits to operate off guesswork or rely on well-meaning attorneys who aren’t familiar with nonprofit law,” Kester said. “That’s where we step in, and where I envision us continuing to expand to meet these needs.”
Kester was recognized by Indiana Lawyer’s Leadership in Law Award for Up and Coming Lawyers in 2018.
About Charitable Allies: Charitable Allies is a nonprofit organization and law firm based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2013, Charitable Allies exists to provide legal services and education for nonprofits at free or reduced rates. The attorneys work from the belief that when nonprofits thrive, communities are strengthened.
