PHILADELPHIA – Stradley Ronon Attorneys Mark Chopko and Jennifer Gniady served as panelists on a webcast with the Diocesan Fiscal Management Conference through Villanova University’s Center for Church Management on April 6. The webcast, “Understanding the CARES Act for Catholic Dioceses,” was directed to assist diocesan fiscal managers and chief administrators with critical background in this rapidly changing regulatory environment. Among the topics addressed were key questions that have arisen around the CARES Act, including applications for SBA loans, the qualification and regulatory oversight for federal financial assistance, uses and restrictions of funds for schools, and disaster assistance.
Chopko chairs Stradley Ronon’s nonprofit and religious organizations practice group and advises clients, including colleges and universities, in matters involving structural, business, governance, regulatory and complex litigation. He specializes in defending religious organizations and also teaches a seminar on church-state law at Georgetown University Law Center. A former general counsel for the U.S. Conference on Catholic Bishops, he has participated in more than 30 Supreme Court cases as counsel for religious groups in friend-of-the-Court briefs.
Gniady helps nonprofit organizations of all sizes navigate complex legal issues while remaining true to their charitable missions. Her practice combines experience with both tax exemption issues and corporate matters. She works with clients to respond to existing threats and legal issues, while counseling practices to strengthen the organization in the long term. Her clients include charities, religious organizations, associations, schools and arts organizations. Her practice includes forming nonprofit organizations, advising on corporate governance and bylaws, analyzing lobbying and fundraising practices, responding to inquiries from IRS, state, and local charitable regulators and managing litigation.
About Stradley Ronon
Counseling clients since 1926, Stradley Ronon has helped private and public companies – from small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations – achieve their goals by providing pragmatic, value-driven legal counsel. With offices in eight strategic locations, our responsive team of more than 200 attorneys seamlessly addresses the full spectrum of our clients’ needs, ranging from sophisticated corporate transactions to complex commercial litigation.