WASHINGTON – Stradley Ronon partner Jennifer Gniady and senior counsel Mark Chopko presented at the Resource Center for Religious Institutions (RCRI) 2024 National Conference on October 2 and 3.
Jennifer’s presentation, “Tax Exemption Topics for Religious Institutions,” covered timely tax topics including the federal tax exemption application process under the group exemption letter held by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and IRS processes and regulations for exempt organizations. Jennifer also moderated an introductory session on using data analysis in planning for religious institutes on the opening day of the conference.
The two also co-presented, “Getting Started with Structures,” which outlined how a religious organization can evaluate what structures to attach to an institute, its ministries and its management. The presentation provided an overview of the types of structures available, benchmarking resources and risks, and managing religious authority and leadership changes.
Jennifer co-chairs the firm’s nonprofit and religious organizations practice and has spent more than 15 years counseling nonprofits on how to respond to threats, solve problems and plan for the future. She routinely advises nonprofits on structural and governance issues, responding to inquiries from charitable regulators and complying with lobbying and fundraising laws.
Mark is chair emeritus of the firm’s nonprofit and religious organizations practice. He advises clients, including colleges and universities, in matters involving structural, business, governance, regulatory and complex litigation. A former general counsel for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, he has participated in more than 30 Supreme Court cases as counsel for religious groups in friend-of-the-court briefs.
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 nine locations, our responsive team of more than 200 lawyers seamlessly addresses the full spectrum of our clients’ needs, ranging from sophisticated corporate transactions to complex commercial litigation.