Nonprofit Representation

Advocacy & Political Activity

Clients seek our help because we know how government works and the people who make it work. We routinely work with government agencies at all levels, including federal, state and local. Our attorneys have deep roots in public service, previously holding legal and policy-making positions in the Massachusetts Senate, Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Massachusetts Department of Revenue, and Internal Revenue Service.

Hemenway & Barnes represents businesses, nonprofits, elected officials and private clients who are affected by a host of complex federal regulations that constantly, and sometimes abruptly, change. We have represented state, municipal, and quasi-governmental entities as they craft, and later defend, their respective approaches to a variety of governance issues. We also counsel clients on election law, ballot and campaign finance issues, and the operation of social welfare and other advocacy groups.

Our clients rely on our counsel to:

• Understand and, where appropriate, challenge regulatory and sub-regulatory initiatives
• Defend or challenge government agency action in judicial and administrative proceedings, including eligibility and licensing determinations
• Navigate governmental programs, grants, and incentives, including private-public partnerships
• Evaluate and respond to unfair or discriminatory taxes and fees.
• Address zoning, permitting, and land-use issues
• Draft and support ballot initiatives through the state certification process
• Advise on election law and campaign finance issues
• Advise nonprofits on political participation, lobbying, and state ballot initiatives
• Understand the unique aspects of interacting with government agencies, including public records and freedom of information laws

Representative Experience

• Drafting tax opinions for clients concerning a wide variety of state tax matters, including combined reporting, sales tax nexus and state tax conformity to federal non-recognition provisions.
• Navigating the oversight relationship between the Office of the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the state’s vibrant nonprofit sector.
• Providing advice to companies, nonprofits, and elected officials navigating election, campaign finance, lobbying and ethics laws at the state and federal levels.