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Wanger Jones Helsley PC
Industry Group

Nonprofits & Faith-Based Organizations

Mission-sensitive legal counsel for nonprofit and faith-based organizations, helping them protect their tax-exempt status, manage governance, and navigate employment and real property issues.

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Who We Serve

Clients We Represent in Nonprofits & Faith-Based Organizations

01

Charitable Foundations

Counsel for charitable foundations on governance, tax-exempt status, contracts, and disputes.

02

Religious Institutions

Representation of religious institutions on governance, real property, employment, and disputes.

03

Educational Organizations

Counsel for educational organizations on governance, employment, and real property matters.

Overview

How We Serve Our Clients

Wanger Jones Helsley provides mission-sensitive legal counsel to nonprofit and faith-based organizations, including charitable foundations, religious institutions, and educational organizations. The firm helps these clients protect their tax-exempt status, manage governance, and navigate the employment and real property issues that nonprofits routinely face.

Nonprofit matters bring together entity governance, tax-exempt compliance, employment, real property, and litigation. The firm pairs its corporate, employment, real estate, and litigation attorneys so a nonprofit can address governance, compliance, and contested matters with one firm, with sensitivity to its mission.

Whether a client is a charitable foundation managing governance, a religious institution addressing a real property question, or an educational organization navigating an employment matter, the firm brings business-minded counsel and an understanding of the distinct legal framework governing tax-exempt organizations, with sensitivity to each client's mission throughout.

Our Approach

What to Expect from WJH

— 01

Industry Knowledge

The firm understands the operational, regulatory, and commercial realities of this sector, so counsel is grounded in how the client's business actually works, not legal theory alone.

— 02

Full-Service

Transactional, regulatory, and litigation attorneys work side by side, so a client can handle deals, compliance, and disputes under one roof rather than across several firms.

— 03

Senior Attention

Experienced shareholders and of-counsel handle the substantive work, giving clients direct access to senior counsel rather than layers of delegation.

The Team

Attorneys Serving This Industry

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Hunter C. Castro, Shareholder, Wanger Jones Helsley PC
Hunter C. Castro
Shareholder
Fresno
Robert E. Donlan, Shareholder, Wanger Jones Helsley PC
Robert E. Donlan
Shareholder
Sacramento
Shawnda M. Grady, Of Counsel, Wanger Jones Helsley PC
Shawnda M. Grady
Of Counsel
Sacramento
John P. Kinsey, Shareholder, Wanger Jones Helsley PC
John P. Kinsey
Shareholder
Fresno
Ethan Mora, Of Counsel, Wanger Jones Helsley PC
Ethan Mora
Of Counsel
Fresno
Jeffrey B. Pape, Of Counsel, Wanger Jones Helsley PC
Jeffrey B. Pape
Of Counsel
Fresno
Patrick D. Toole, Shareholder, Wanger Jones Helsley PC
Patrick D. Toole
Shareholder
Fresno
Track Record

Representative Matters

Wanger Jones Helsley's public-record matters, including cases argued before the California Courts of Appeal, the Ninth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court, are presented on the firm's Select Cases page with the applicable prior-results disclaimer.

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Frequently Asked Questions
What nonprofit clients does Wanger Jones Helsley represent?
Wanger Jones Helsley represents charitable foundations, religious institutions, and educational organizations. The firm provides mission-sensitive counsel that helps these nonprofit and faith-based clients protect their tax-exempt status, manage governance, and navigate the employment, real property, and contract issues that nonprofits face, drawing on the breadth of a full-service firm.
What legal services does WJH provide to nonprofits?
Wanger Jones Helsley advises nonprofit and faith-based organizations on governance, tax-exempt compliance, employment, real property, commercial contracts, and litigation. The firm draws on its corporate, employment, real estate, and litigation groups so a nonprofit can address governance, compliance, and contested matters with one firm.
Does WJH help nonprofits protect their tax-exempt status?
Yes. Wanger Jones Helsley counsels charitable foundations, religious institutions, and educational organizations on governance and the compliance issues that bear on tax-exempt status. The firm helps nonprofits maintain proper governance and structure while pursuing their missions, drawing on its corporate, employment, and real estate attorneys as each matter requires.
Can WJH handle nonprofit employment and real property matters?
Yes. Wanger Jones Helsley advises nonprofit and faith-based organizations on employment matters through its labor and employment practice and on real property matters through its real estate practice, coordinated with its litigation attorneys when disputes arise. These are common areas of need for nonprofits.
Why choose WJH for nonprofit and faith-based matters?
Wanger Jones Helsley provides mission-sensitive counsel with the breadth of a full-service firm, serving nonprofit clients from offices in Fresno and Sacramento. That combination lets foundations, religious institutions, and educational organizations handle governance, compliance, employment, and disputes with one California firm.
Who at WJH handles nonprofit and faith-based organization matters?
Wanger Jones Helsley's nonprofit work is handled by shareholders and of-counsel attorneys, primarily in Fresno with additional counsel in Sacramento, including Patrick Toole, John Kinsey, Robert Donlan, and others. The firm directs each client to the attorney whose experience best fits the matter.
Let's Talk

Need counsel for a
Nonprofits & Faith-Based Organizations matter?

The firm's team is ready to provide the experienced counsel your matter requires. Contact WJH to discuss your situation.

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