Charities and Foundations
Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss (LBKM) is a trusted partner in helping nonprofits achieve their missions while protecting against legal and regulatory threats. Our charities practice combines practical experience with sophisticated legal and regulatory expertise to help charitable organizations thrive in complex environments. We advise a wide range of nonprofit and charitable institutions — from global foundations and religious organizations to policy-oriented NGOs — on the full spectrum of legal issues that affect their missions.
We act for a number of the largest religious charities in the world, as well as charities that operate in a variety of public policy areas, advising on best practices and safeguarding them from possible threats. We provide strategic counsel on governance, employment issues, advocacy and lobbying issues, as well as cross-border operations, ensuring that clients align their charitable goals with evolving legal and regulatory requirements. Our team has extensive experience navigating sanctions, anti-money laundering (AML), countering the financing of terrorism (CFT), and other financial compliance regimes, helping charities manage risks associated with international operations, grants, and partnerships.
When disputes arise, we represent charities in high-stakes litigation and enforcement matters, including OFAC sanctions, government investigations, defamation actions, and constitutional issues implicating free speech and religious liberty. Our lawyers combine trial experience with an understanding of the unique sensitivities that charitable organizations face, safeguarding both their legal standing and their reputations.
We also have a successful track record of litigating against the U.S. government.
For us, charitable work is not only business; it is personal. LBKM has been a public-spirited firm since its founding. We have an active pro bono practice concentrating on civil rights and human rights litigation, and our partners serve on the boards of both domestic and international charities.
Representative Matters
- Provision of comprehensive legal advice — including employment law, AML/CFT compliance, and de-banking/de-risking — to leading relief and development charities
- Representation of Reprieve and Reprieve US in death penalty, Guantanamo Bay detention and international human rights work
- Representation of Middle Eastern charities in multi-district litigation relating to alleged violations of the Anti-Terrorism Act and other intentional tort claims
- Representation of an international Islamic charity in successful challenge to OFAC Specially Designated National (SDN) List designation
- Representation of nonprofit think tank and founder in First Amendment litigation
In the News
In a complex political environment, LBKM lawyers can assist charitable organizations in protecting their tax-exempt status and in litigating civil or criminal matters brought against charitable institutions based upon their advocacy, programming or related activities.
September 2025The Legal 500 US has ranked LBKM partners Eric Lewis and Aisha Bembry among Washington, DC’s “City Elite” for international litigation.
February 26, 2025