Holland & Knight’s Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Organizations Team is among the largest and most sophisticated in the United States, advising a broad spectrum of clients, including colleges and universities, donor-advised funds, community foundations, museums, healthcare providers, public and private charities, religious organizations, and trade associations. The team is recognized for its work with high-profile, It handles governance, compliance, charitable giving, restructurings, and strategic transactions, while leveraging technology-driven tools such as state charitable registration portals and comprehensive legal audits to improve efficiency, transparency, and oversight. The team is co-headed by Dallas-based Jonathan Blum and David Rosenberg, while Jason Havens and Kelly Hellmuth, are based in Jacksonville; they provide national guidance on regulatory, operational, and strategic matters. Furthermore, Dallas-based lawyer Andrew Grumet brings more than 25 years of experience advising nonprofits globally, serving on boards, acting as an outsourced CEO, and leading transformative projects.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Billing & efficiency
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘It is expertise in action. The team gives the clients confidence in their expertise.’
‘I believe we are receiving service by the top attorneys in the non-profit world.’
‘This practice combines deep expertise with a practical understanding of tax-exempt orgs. The partners I worked with were extremely creative in identifying solutions and worked collaboratively across legal disciplines to enhance the advice and save money. The practice worked with me on fee structures that would be sustainable for everyone.’
‘Kelly Hullmuth and Doug Praw stand out as particularly excellent in this area. Their strength over competitors comes from their creativity, intellect and experience. ’
‘Flexibility in staffing in multiple practice areas involved in a major transaction for a tax-exempt organization, including tax law, real estate, joint ventures, corporate law and environmental law. High efficiency combined with thoroughness. It's a great team.’
‘I worked primarily with Kelly Helmuth and Doug Praw. Kelly is an outstanding lawyer. She is thorough, clear minded and highly expert in the field of laws applicable to tax-exempt organizations. She is also very good at communicating with clarity on the complex issues that come up.
Key clients
- Northern Trust Company
- The Dallas Foundation
- Communities Foundation of Texas
- Silicon Valley Community Foundation
- Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
- Wounded Warrior Project
- American Civil Liberties Union Inc. (ACLU)
- Mill Town
- SantaFe Healthcare
- Community Foundation of Tampa Bay Inc.
- The Perot Foundation
- The Terry Foundation
Work highlights
Represented a consortium of community foundations and other nonprofit organizations in connection with certain proposed regulations issued by the Internal Revenue Code in November 2023 regarding definitional and excise tax issues related to donor-advised fund programs.
Represented the national board of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) – a century-old nonprofit organization with more than 1.7 million members – in a dispute involving its Florida affiliate organization, the ACLU of Florida.
Represented the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA), a nonprofit, innovative art museum in Southern California, in its combination with the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine). The resulting entity, now named the UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art, brings together two renowned institutions under a shared vision of public access, scholarship and cultural engagement.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Jonathan Blum; Jason Havens; Kelly Hellmuth; David Rosenberg