Risk Management Podcast: How and When Should Your Nonprofit Use a Lawyer?

Published on: by Gene Takagi Category:RISK MANAGEMENT
nonprofit risk management

Nonprofit risk management is an investment, not an expense. I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Risk Alternatives CEO Ted Bilich on how and when nonprofits should use a lawyer. The podcast is available here.

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Topics

Lawyers’ Disclaimers

  • Why do lawyers usually want to profess that they are not giving legal advice during interviews or in articles? [1:28]

About NEO Law Group

  • You started NEO Law Group when? [5:08]
  • What led you to found Neo Law Group? [5:38]
  • Are most of your clients in California? [7:04]
  • You came to the law as a second career. How did that change the way you provide counsel? [7:32]

Problems Nonprofits Have With “Hiring” Lawyers

  • Nonprofits always have an incentive to spend every dollar on programs. What challenges does that present to a lawyer as a counselor to nonprofits? [11:02]
  • How do you respond to nonprofits that say they will rely on legal advice from board members? [14:04]
  • How do you respond to nonprofits who say that they will rely on pro bono legal advice? [17:42]
  • What are some indications that a nonprofit should seek paid legal advice? [20:08]

Changes in the Legal Services Market

  • How has the market for legal services been changing over the past decade? [29:30]
  • How do you see it changing over the next five years? [33:04]

Budgeting for Legal Advice

  • Should a nonprofit have an annual budget item devoted to legal services? [35:42]

risk management

Risk Management – The Board’s Role

A charitable organization’s board should ensure that the organization has adequate plans to protect its assets — its property, documents and data, financial and human resources, programmatic content and material, and its integrity and reputation — against damage or loss. The board should review regularly the organization’s need for general liability and directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, as well as take other actions necessary to mitigate risks. – Independent Sector, Principle 6

Nonprofit Risk Management Resources

Nonprofit Law Blog – Archives: Risk Management

A Call for Nonprofit Risk Management – Ted Bilich, Stanford Social Innovation Review

Nonprofit Risk Management Center

Risk Management for Nonprofits – Oliver Wyman, SeaChange Capital Partners (pdf)