Nonprofit lawyers
empowering leaders for
positive impact

NEO Law Group is a San Francisco-based firm that provides corporate, tax, and charitable trust law counsel to nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations and publishes the Nonprofit Law Blog. Our three attorneys - Gene Takagi, Erin Bradrick, and Michele Berger - are focused on providing practical and responsive counsel that helps nonprofits and their leaders further their missions and values . We’ve represented over 800 nonprofits over the past 15 years on matters including formations, fiscal sponsorship, governance, collaborations, affiliations, mergers, advocacy, earned income, and general nonprofit corporate and tax law compliance. We’ve also presented on nonprofit legal topics to charities, private foundations, bar associations, and CPA associations throughout the country.

Our attorneys have been fortunate to receive several national awards for our work including Outstanding Nonprofit Lawyer and Outstanding Young Lawyer from the American Bar Association (ABA) Nonprofit Organizations Committee and Top 40 Young Lawyers from the ABA Young Lawyers Division. We've also had the privilege of teaching and lecturing at several colleges and universities including Columbia University, where we developed a new course focused on the Business of Nonprofits.

NEO Law Group was a featured firm in the cover story for the February 2017 issue of the American Bar Association's "ABA Journal" on law firms doing good, the featured firm on the cover of the Spring 2018 issue of the CEB-California In Practice, and the featured firm in the June 10, 2016 issue of the San Francisco Daily Journal, which provided: "The attorneys at NEO Law Group preach impact over profit maximization - and they walk the walk."

Representative Organizations

Animal welfare organizations

Critter Lovers at Work, Friends of Fairmont Animal Shelter, German Shepherd Rescue of Northern California, Give a Dog a Bone, PetSmart Charities, San Francisco SPCA

Arts organizations

Burning Man Project, Community Arts Stabilization Trust, Estria Foundation, Freshgrass Public Foundation, Healdsburg Jazz Festival, Musicians Foundation, Noontime Concerts, Pacific Pinball Museum, Paramount Theatre, San Diego Automotive Museum, Shawl-Anderson Modern Dance Center, SuperFrog Project, Zero1: The Art & Technology Network

Children & youth organizations

APA Family Support Services, Braid Mission, Brighter Beginnings, California Alliance of Child and Family Services, California Child Care Resource and Referral Network, California Youth Connection, Children Now, Children’s Services Foundation, Japanese Community Youth Council, Kai Ming Inc., Lincoln Child Center, Mid-Peninsula Boys and Girls Club Foundation, Novato Youth Center, San Francisco Youth Soccer, Tri-City Youth Group, Youth Enrichment Services, Youth Leadership Institute, Youth Service California

Churches, temples, and religious organizations

Bethel AME Church of San Francisco, Buddhist Churches of America, Citizens Church of Sacramento County, First AME Church of Los Angeles, First Baptist Church of Menlo Park, First Presbyterian Church of Burlingame, Fremont Hindhu Temple, Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Open Gate Sangha, San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin, South Bay Hindu Center, St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

Community Foundations

Chinese American Community Foundation, East Bay Community Foundation, Endaoment, Golden State Warriors Community Foundation, Jewish Community Foundation, Korean American Community Foundation of San Francisco, Marin Community Foundation, Miami Foundation, San Bruno Community Foundation, Sacramento Region Community Foundation, West Marin Fund

Economic Development Organizations

Center for a New Economy (Puerto Rico), Union Square Business Improvement District, Workers Lab

Educational & literary organizations

Annual Reviews, Belvedere-Tiburon Library Foundation, Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education, Computer-Using Educators, Conscious Kid, East Bay Consortium of Educational Institutions, Greenstein Institute, Growing with Books, Just Read, San Francisco Early Learning Alliance, San Jose Public Library Foundation, School-to-School International, Super Stars Literacy, 9 Dots

Environmental organizations

Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, Black Rock Solar, California Urban Water Conservation Council, Center for Resource Solutions, East Bay Environmental Network, Ecology Action, Foundation for Climate Restoration, Greenaction, Green Hydrogen Coalition, Groundwork Opportunities, Institute for Environmental Entrepreneurism, Northern California Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, Pacific Environment, Pacifica Land Trust

Fiscal sponsors

Charitable Ventures, Community Initiatives, Fractured Atlas, Fusion Partnerships, Hacker Fund, Independent Arts & Media, InterMusic SF, Intersection for the Arts, Social Good Fund, Panorama Global, The Center for Cultural Power, Tides Network, Upstart Bay Area

Health-related organizations

Access Dyslexia, Alzheimer's Association, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Northern California and Northern Nevada, Alameda County Mental Health Association, Asian Community Mental Health Services. Asian Health Services, California School-Based Health Alliance, Calistoga Family Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Child Haven, Council for Homeopathic Certification, ETR, Golden Gate Regional Center, Health Post, Hope Services, Kings View, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, On Lok, Pain USA, UCPLA/Momentum, World Hepatitis Alliance

Housing Organizations

Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco

Identity group / Economic/Social Justice organizations

Asian-American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Asian Pacific Fund, Astraea Foundation, Black in AI, California Society of Entertainment Lawyers, Chinese Newcomers Service Center, Chinese Progressive Association, Civil Leadership USA, Community Coalition, Diversity Center, Felton Institute, Good World Solutions, Japanese American Citizens League, Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley, Oshman Family Jewish Community Center, Korematsu Institute, PowerSwitch Action, Ruckus Society, San Francisco Japantown Foundation, Tides Network, U.S.-Japan Council, Uyghur Protection Foundation

Impact investing / Social Entrepreneurship

Corporate Ethics International, Early Learning Ventures, ImpactAssets, Knoend

International charity organizations

Child Family Health International, Daraja Educational Foundation, Equality & Opportunity Foundation, Global Pediatric Alliance, Gretta Foundation, Hand in Hand for Haiti, Jupiter 360 Foundation, Mama Hope, Namaste Foundation, New Israel Fund, One Japan, One World Children's Fund

Law firms and consulting firms

Alston & Bird, Campbell Law Group, Caritas Law Group, Cheshire Law Group, Kathleen Russell Consulting, La Piana Consulting, Midori Law Group, Reed Smith, Schnader Harrison Segal Lewis, Westaway, Yorozu Law Group

Leadership development organizations

Bay Area Organizing Committee, Fuse Corps, National League of Young Men, Net Impact/GOOD Institute, Young Nonprofit Professionals Network

Legal organizations

Center for International Environmental Law, Center for Judicial Excellence, Disability Rights Advocates, Social Justice Legal Foundation

Media and news organizations

Center for Media Justice (MediaJustice), Independent Media Institute, Media Alliance, Medicinal Media, National Society of Newspaper Columnists, Nichi Bei Foundation, Stanford Daily Publishing Corp

Nonprofit support & capacity building organizations

California Association of Nonprofits, CBO Center (merged into CompassPoint), Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training, Real Reason, Social Media for Nonprofits

Poverty Alleviation Organizations & Distress and Emergency Hardship Response Organizations

50Breakthroughs Foundation, Bayview Hunters Point Foundation for Community Improvement, Gryphon Assistance Fund, Illumination Foundation, The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank

Private Foundations & Grantmaking Organizations

AO Dragge Foundation, California Dental Association Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation,  Daphne Foundation, David Young Choe Foundation, Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation, Evelyn & Walter, Jr. Haas Fund, Fleishhacker Foundation, Joseph and Sherry Felson Family Foundation, Levi Strauss Foundation, Minami Tamaki Yamauchi Kwok Lee Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, Next Octave Foundation, Nezhat Family Foundation, Okura Foundation, Open Hearts Foundation, Palayam Foundation, RMLow Foundation, Roy & Patricia Disney Family Foundation, Satyagraha Foundation, S.H. Cowell Foundation, Tsao Family Foundation, Wallace A. Gerbode Foundation, Walter & Elise Haas Fund, Whitman Institute, Zellerbach Family Foundation

Scientific research organizations

Cure JM Foundation, Earth Species Project, Ernest Gallo Clinic & Research Center, Institute for Molecular Neuroscience, Parkinson's Institute, SJSU Research Foundation, Seismological Society of America

Schools and Related Organizations

ASU Enterprise Partners (Arizona State University), Belvedere Nursery School, Burkard School, Children’s Pre-School Center, Chinese American International School, Global Education Commons, Hope University, Lifelong Learning Administration Corporation, Manhattan Beach Education Foundation, Mark Day School, Marin School of the Arts, National Center for International Schools, Newark Educational Foundation, Northstar School, One Purpose School, Presidio Graduate School, San Francisco Education Fund, San Francisco Japanese School, Westside Waldorf School, Wilkinson School, Yew Chung International School of Silicon Valley

Social Change / Advocacy Organizations

ACLU Foundation of Northern California, ACLU Foundation of Southern California, California Reinvestment Coalition, Center for Story-Based Strategy, Common Counsel Foundation, Data Dividend Project, East Bay Action, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE), Food Chain Workers Alliance, Humanity United Charitable Fund, Korematsu Institute, Movement Strategy Center, Neighborhood Funders Group, Plant Based Foods Association, PowerPAC Foundation, Social Justice Legal Foundation, Vote.org, Whose Knowledge?, California YIMBY

Social services and human services organizations

Actor's Fund, ARC Fresno, Center for Adaptive Learning, Centerforce, Covenant House California, NAMI California, Lutheran Social Services of Northern California, Pomeroy Recreation & Rehabilitation Center, Regional Center of the East Bay, The Purpose of Recovery LLC, Walden House

Social welfare organizations

ACLU California Action, ACLU of Northern California, ACLU of Southern California, Alameda Transportation Management Association, Captiva Civic Association, Children Now Action Fund, Citizen Engagement Laboratory, Color Of Change, Grab Your Wallet Alliance, Indivisible Berkeley, Marin Ventures, PowerPAC.org, Presente Action, San Francisco Waterfront Alliance, SumOfUs, Tides Advocacy, YIMBY Action

Technology and science organizations

AI4ALL, Aspiration Tech, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Cyber Security Technologies Foundation, Digital Green Foundation, Hypothes.is, Identity Theft Council, International Center for AI and Robot Autonomy, Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network, Simply Secure, Yorba Foundation

Trade/professional associations

Alameda County Bar Association, American Immigration Lawyers Association – NorCal, Asian American Bar Association, Bay Area Association of Muslim Lawyers, CASSS, East Bay Chapter - American Institute of Architects, Golden Gate Business Association, Los Angeles Paralegal Association, Music Teachers’ Association of California, National Association of Science Writers, Plant Based Foods Association, Queen's Bench Bar Association, U.S. Bartenders Guild, Vehicle Grid Integration Council

Women's organizations

Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence, Double Union, Girls Leadership Institute, GirlVentures, Global Fund for Women, San Francisco Women Artists, Sister Song, SparkSF, Women Donors Network, Women’s Audio Mission, YWCA of San Francisco and Marin, YWCA Silicon Valley