Social enterprise law is a new and evolving type of triple bottom line orientation for mission-driven businesses who want to “do well as they do good.” For these companies, advancing specific social or environmental causes is often integral to their business model.

Perlman & Perlman is a leader in social enterprise law. We have helped to formulate policies and operating guidelines in this growing field. With our depth of experience in nonprofit and for-profit corporate structure, finance and governance, we advise our clients on social enterprise best practices and ethical issues, as well as serve as a trusted advisor to our clients’ management teams.

Our attorneys provide counsel from both a business and legal perspective and can handle virtually any transaction that involves any combination of nonprofit groups and for-profit businesses such as corporate foundations, joint ventures (where the nonprofit is an active partner), commercial co-ventures (where the nonprofit is a beneficiary), and for-profit spin-offs.

We stay apprised of the latest legal developments in corporate and venture philanthropy legal practices, and alert our clients to recent changes via, newsletters and client alerts.

Our Social Enterprise Services include:

• Structuring and advising on legal arrangements between nonprofit and for-profit businesses, including:

• Conducting “spin-offs” of nonprofit commercial enterprises into for-profit enterprises.
• Advising on governance, control issues, including corporate resolutions, bylaws, and corporate policies.
• Embedding social purpose into corporate documents and other agreements.
• Structuring and drafting documents for financing and corporate restructurings.
• Handling dispute resolution with state attorneys general, the IRS, and other government regulators.
• Protecting intellectual property.