Holland & Knight has strengthened its Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Organizations Team with the addition of a five-person group of attorneys and nonprofit professionals. Andrew Grumet and Christina Cahill, both previously shareholders at Polsinelli PC, where Mr. Grumet was chair of the Nonprofit Organizations practice, join as partners in the New York office.
Joining Mr. Grumet and Ms. Cahill are Associate Christina Jones, Philanthropy Services Director Erica Seaborne and Strategic Philanthropic Coordinator Alexandra Sweeton. The group brings a combination of legal and nonprofit professional skills that provide clients with a distinct depth of experience.
The group joins a burgeoning national nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations practice into which Holland & Knight has welcomed several attorneys this year, including former Polsinelli attorneys Jonathan Blum and Nykolas McKissic in Dallas.
“Holland & Knight’s Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Organizations Team is an integral part of our overall Private Wealth Services Group, and we’ve been focusing on expanding this specialized practice, especially in New York,” said David Scott Sloan, co-chair of Holland & Knight’s Private Wealth Services Group. “Andrew and Christina’s team and its innovative work with clients in the nonprofit world, including multinational organizations, are well-respected and nationally regarded in the field. Their experience and capabilities make them valuable additions to our team.”
“We are excited to join Holland & Knight and work with some of the world’s leading advisors,” said Mr. Grumet. “Throughout my career, I’ve found that a collaborative multi-disciplinary approach works best when servicing sophisticated clients. Holland & Knight embraces this holistic approach, and I look forward to tapping into the firm’s many resources to help further our clients’ goals.”
Over the past 25 years, Mr. Grumet has served on numerous boards, worked as an outsourced CEO to a billion-dollar nonprofit, helped to secure transformative funding, as well as served as a trusted advisor to a wide range of organizations. He has advised on some of the most significant transactions and projects, including, among others, structuring a variety of nonprofit/for-profit hybrids, impact investments, social and development income bonds, one of the most historic art acquisitions in history and innovative incubator models, as well as some of the most widely seen cause-marketing programs.
“I’m thrilled to be part of Holland & Knight’s commitment to growing its Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Organizations Team in New York,” said Ms. Cahill. “Joining the firm, alongside my colleagues Andrew, Christina, Erica and Alex, will serve as a great opportunity for growth and collaboration for both my practice and our clients.”
Ms. Cahill represents a wide variety of domestic and international nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations. She counsels, educates and problem-solves to bring creative legal, governance and structuring solutions to nonprofits and social-impact oriented organizations and individuals. Ms. Cahill’s prior legal experience with mergers and acquisitions, complex government matters and private wealth planning allows her to provide strategic counsel to clients regarding corporate transactions and entity structuring, interactions with federal and state regulators, and the tax aspects of charitable giving. Before becoming an attorney, Ms. Cahill worked as a 4th grade teacher in the South Bronx as part of Teach for America.
Ms. Jones concentrates her practice on providing strategic counsel to nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations. Ms. Jones’s prior legal experience includes serving multinational clients in federal and international tax planning, investment funds and transactional matters, as well as advising multinational clients at a Big Four accounting firm on the effects of tax reform, tax planning opportunities and cross-border transactions. Before attending law school, Ms. Jones served as a Policy Fellow for Leadership for Educational Equity and was a Teach for America corps member in Atlanta.
Ms. Seaborne brings a strong background in nonprofit operations, fundraising and program development with more than 10 years of experience working in various higher education, social services and healthcare nonprofits.
Ms. Sweeton has worked in New York as a corporate paralegal at various law firms for more than 20 years.
