Charitable Allies’ essential purpose is to serve a charitable class made up of tax-exempt organizations and their stakeholders in helping them fulfill their exempt purpose. We carry a 501 (c)(3) distinction in part because we provide services generally at reduced rates (low bono)– calculated as at or below 50% of fair market value (FMV)– and sometimes free. In addition we don’t compete with private law firms.

Ultimately we provide a service to clients that attorneys in private practice cannot afford to represent. These services require a high level of knowledge and skill, and are designed to help clients do their tax-exempt work more effectively.

Low Bono Rate Structure

Fair Market Value
Charitable Allies Hourly Rate

Nonprofit Law Firm and Public Charity FAQs

  • Strict Guidelines on Clientele

    Our clientele must fall within the following strict guidelines;

    1. Tax exempt organizations and/or their key stakeholders (members, officers, directors, trustees or donors) that have either;
      1. annual gross receipts at or below $10M or assets with a value below $100M, or;
      2. if they lack liquid assets to pay legal counsel generally, if other law firms with deep tax-exempt organization experience were conflicted off of representation, if the client only needs our services as “back up” or as support counsel to their general counsel law firm or in-house counsel, or the client can demonstrate through some other compelling factor that it is a member of a charitable class

  • Public Charity Distinction

    Our services are charitable because the clients themselves serve tax-exempt purposes, they lack adequate representation in the private sector and are generally unable to pay market rates for sophisticated, unique exempt-organization legal services.  Aiding these non-profits benefits the whole community and not private interests.

  • Differentiation

    We are different from a standard law firm in the following ways:

    • Our management answers to a Board of Directors
    • Salaries for attorneys are set using comparable rates paid to lawyers in other types of nonprofit work.
    • Attorneys do not share in the ownership or successes of Charitable Allies except through a modest pre-approved, fixed bonus structure not tied to legal service revenue