Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

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Gillian Murphy helps employers of all sizes successfully navigate every aspect of the employment relationship. From recruiting to termination and everything in-between, Gillian teams with HR and management to find pragmatic solutions that limit legal risk and meet business objectives. Gillian spends the majority of her time advising clients on a variety of legal issues such as leave and disability law compliance, policy development, executive compensation, and discrimination investigations. She also regularly conducts management and front-line employee training programs on a range of employment topics and is known for her engaging presentation style. While Gillian serves employers across all industries, she has particular expertise in the restaurant and hotel space, as well as the nonprofit sector.

As a trusted advisor to philanthropists and mission-driven organizations, Jean Tom recognizes that the success of social change efforts often depends on sound legal counsel. Nonprofits are regulated by a complex array of corporate, tax, and other regulatory regimes at the international, federal, state, and local levels. Jean provides practical advice that helps clients navigate these legal thickets so they can focus on mission and achieving social impact. Nonprofits are also increasingly partnering with for-profit organizations and investors in novel ways as they seek new revenue streams and innovative means of achieving their goals. Such opportunities require careful counseling to ensure regulatory and tax compliance. Jean has the perspective and experience to guide clients through the legal complexities so they can capitalize on these new opportunities. Jean's clients are a diverse mix of philanthropists, social entrepreneurs, public charities (advocacy organizations, universities, museums, social service organizations), private foundations (family foundations, community foundations and corporate foundations), social welfare organizations, and trade associations. Her clients focus on fields ranging from education to social, racial, and economic justice; health, scientific research and innovation; arts and culture; environmental conservation, religion, and animal welfare. Among Jean’s clients are NoVo Foundation, the ASPCA, Sierra Club, The Conference Board, KQED and the University of California, as well as a number of West Coast hospital systems. Jean counsels her clients on all aspects of a nonprofit organization's life cycle, from entity choice and formation through dissolution, and on complex organizational structuring and transactions (forming subsidiaries, establishing relationships with affiliates, structuring joint ventures, and exploring and carrying out mergers and acquisitions). She also advises clients on grantmaking, corporate governance (bylaws, board fiduciary duties, conflicts of interest), executive compensation, corporate sponsorships and commercial co-ventures, political intervention and lobbying, and program-and mission-related investments. Jean also enjoys serving as general counsel to her clients, tackling issues as they arise and connecting clients with capable colleagues in other parts of the firm to assist with issues spanning employment, intellectual property, technology, privacy, immigration, and real estate. A frequent speaker on matters pertaining to nonprofits, Jean has also represented organizations in connection with attorney general investigations and before the California Franchise Tax Board and the Internal Revenue Service.

LaVerne Woods has devoted her career to helping nonprofits and philanthropists navigate the legal maze so they can focus on their missions. Nationally-known for her expertise in tax-exempt organizations and philanthropy, LaVerne excels at translating the most complex tax and regulatory concepts into clear and concise language to facilitate planning and decision-making. She brings over three decades of experience in the nonprofit sector to bear in achieving her client's goals, along with a rare understanding of both big picture policy issues and technical minutiae. LaVerne has represented some of the largest foundations and operating nonprofits regionally and nationally, as well as both Fortune 500 companies and start-ups engaged in philanthropy and cause marketing. Her deep expertise extends to a full range of legal issues unique to the nonprofit sector, including federal tax exemption, nonprofit governance, endowment management, mission-related and program-related investing, charitable trust law and the intricacies of donor-advised funds and supporting organizations. She has a particular interest in nonprofit healthcare, social entrepreneurism, and international philanthropy. LaVerne has handled complex restructurings of tax-exempt systems, investigations by the IRS and State authorities, nonprofit mergers and acquisitions, and everything in between. She has structured powerful giving programs that leverage technology and served as consigliere to family foundations. She is always looking for a new and exciting challenge.

Monica Rodriguez

Monica Rodriguez is a seasoned advisor and litigator dedicated to addressing her clients' most complex employment challenges, particularly in wage-and-hour and labor matters. Her expertise spans various industries, encompassing wage-oriented issues in higher education, technology, retail, restaurants, hospitality, healthcare, transportation, and manufacturing, and extending to comprehensive strategic planning relevant to employers in all sectors. With extensive experience in both California and federal courtrooms, Monica stands as an indispensable advocate for her clients in high-stakes disputes. These include class, representative, and single-plaintiff actions involving wage-and-hour, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination claims. She also helps her clients navigate the full spectrum of labor relations issues. Monica has successfully defended employers against unfair labor practice charges, union grievances, and other labor-related disputes, while striving to prevent litigation altogether by providing practical advice on collective bargaining contract interpretation issues, among other labor relation matters. When it comes to collective bargaining, clients consistently seek Monica's expertise at the negotiating table. Monica also runs a robust employment counseling practice. Monica advises employers on their employment policies and practices, including hiring and termination decisions, disability accommodations, mass layoffs and furloughs, and high-level severance negotiations.

Thomas C. Schroeder

Thomas (Tom) Schroeder has spent his entire professional career involved with nonprofit organizations. He brings this unique experience to bear by providing practical and timely advice on complex state and federal laws and regulations so that his clients can focus on what matters to them. Tom advises on the full range of legal issues faced by nonprofits and foundations, including: entity choice and organizational structures, formations, dissolutions and reorganizations (including subsidiary formation and operation, affiliated organizations, and mergers, acquisitions and dispositions). He also handles tax qualification and compliance for all types of tax-exemption organizations, including public charities, private foundations, social welfare organizations and trade associations. Finally, Tom counsels clients on corporate governance (fiduciary duties, conflicts of interest, board policies, and practice), executive compensation, and advocacy activities, including campaign intervention and lobbying. Tom's significant in-house experience enables him to offer creative and pragmatic solutions to complex charitable giving issues, such as private foundation grantmaking, significant gifts to operating charities and creation and operation of donor-advised funds and supporting organizations. Tom also works with clients to navigate charitable trust law and endowment matters, including representing them before state attorneys general.