The UCLA School of Law Lowell Milken Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofits and Loyola Law School are pleased to announce that they will host the 28th Western Conference on Tax-Exempt Organizations on February 27 and February 28, 2025, at The California Endowment's Center for Healthy Communities in Downtown Los Angeles. Last year's two-day conference was sold out, with nearly 150 lawyers, accountants and in-house professionals representing a broad range of nonprofit organizations.
Sponsors
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Sponsors for the 28th Annual Western Conference On Tax-Exempt Organizations
PLATINUM
Adler & Colvin
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett LLP
Whittier Trust
GOLD
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Deloitte
GHJ Advisors
Loeb & Loeb LLP
Mill Law Center
NEO Law Group
SILVER
Clark Hill
Clark Nuber
Ernst & Young
The Law Firm For Non-Profits
Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP
Rodriguez Horii Choi & Cafferata LLP
RSM US
SingerLewak LLP
Withersworldwide*Conference sponsors as of 2/10/2025
Where to Stay
The UCLA School of Law Lowell Milken Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofits has negotiated special conference rates at The Omni Hotel Downtown Los Angeles.
Omni Hotel Downtown Los Angeles
$232 per night ($25 Uber Credit per stay)—subject to change
$65 parking per night—subject to change
Click HERE to make your reservation.
*1 mile from The California Endowment
*Parking at the California Endowment is free
*Transportation to/from the California Endowment will be available at the beginning and end of each day for participants staying at the Omni Hotel
Planning Committee
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Co-Chairs
Ellen Aprill, Professor Emerita, Loyola Marymount School of Law
Jill Horwitz, Faculty Director, UCLA School of Law Lowell Milken Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofits
Rose Chan Loui, Executive Director, UCLA School of Law Lowell Milken Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofits
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Members
Michael Berry, Owner, Michael Berry, CPA
Terri Wagner Cammarano, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Cedar-Sinai
Helen Cheng, Partner, Withersworldwide
Debi Heiskala, Partner - EY Americas Exempt Organization Tax Sevices Leader, Ernst & Young
Ofer Lion, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Douglas Mancino, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Karl Mill, Founding Attorney, Mill Law Center
Ingrid Mittermaeir, Principal, Adler & Colvin
Gene Takagi, Principal, NEO Law Group
LaVerne Woods, Partner - Chair, Tax-Exempt Organizations Practice, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Schedule
DAY 1: Thursday, February 27, 2025
7:30-8:30am: Breakfast and Check-In
8:30-8:40am: Day 1 Welcome
8:40-10:00am: Power Hour +
Ofer Lion, Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Jean Tom, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Moderator: Karl Mill, Mill Law Center
10:00-11:30am: The Challenges of For-Profit/Nonprofit Structures
Rob Wexler, Adler & Colvin
Mary Beckman, Massachusetts Attorney General's Office (*former)
David Shevlin, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Moderator: Rose Chan Loui, UCLA School of Law
11:30-11:45am: BREAK
11:45am-1:00pm: Data Protection and Privacy Law
Tenaya Rodewald, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
Lynn Sessions, BakerHostetler
Arun Baheti, The California Wellness Foundation
Moderator: Terri Wagner Cammarano, Cedars-Sinai
1:00-2:30pm Lunch and Keynote—When Should Universities Speak Out?
Steve Poskanzer, Carleton College
Moderator: Jill Horwitz, UCLA School of Law
2:30-3:45pm: Loper Bright - The End of Chevron Deference for Treasury Regulations?
Michael Desmond, Miller & Chevalier Chartered
Steve Toscher, Hochman Salkin Toscher Perez P.C.
Moderator: Ellen Aprill, UCLA School of Law
3:45-4:00pm: BREAK
4:00-5:30pm: International Hot Topics: What in the World is Going On?
Ruth Madrigal, KPMG US
Atiqua Hashem, Conrad M. Hilton Foundation
Jennifer Becker Harris, Clark Nuber PS
Moderator: Ingrid Mittermaier, Adler & Colvin
5:30-6:30pm: Reception
7:00-9:00pm: Faculty Dinner
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DAY 2: Friday, February 28, 2025
7:30-8:30am: Breakfast and Check-In
8:30-8:35am: Day 2 Welcome
8:35-9:45am: Accounting Updates: What All EO Practitioners Need to Know
Tonetta Conner, Harrington Group CPA, LLP
Nanaz Benyamini, SingerLewak LLP
Yulia Murzaeva, GHJ Advisors
Moderator: Debi Heiskala, Ernst & Young LLP
9:45-10:00am: BREAK
10:00-11:00am: One-Hour Breakout Sessions
Private Foundation Hot Topics
Emily Fan, The David and Lucille Packard Foundation
Rosemary Fei, Adler & Colvin
Lizbeth Nevarez, Green Hasson & Janks
Moderator: Michael Berry, Michael Berry, CPA
Advocacy in a Post-Election Year
Nona Randois, Alliance for Justice
Eric Gorovitz, Adler & Colvin
Moderator: Gene Takagi, NEO Law Group
Executive Compensation Hot Topics
Nanci Hibschman, SullivanCotter
Erin Bradrick, NEO Law Group
Moderator: Helen Cheng, Withersworldwide
11:00-11:15am: BREAK
11:15am-12:30pm: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence
Gerry Griffith, Jones Day
Robert Homchick, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Moderator: LaVerne Woods, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
* UCLA School of Law is a State Bar of California approved MCLE provider. This session is approved for 10.5 hours of MCLE credit.
MCLE
UCLA School of Law is a State Bar of California approved MCLE provider. This session has requested MCLE credit and is currently pending approval.
Wednesday, October 30, 2024 | Law Room 1447 | 12:15pm-1:30pm | Lunch will be provided
Join us for lunch and hear from lawyers at law firms (or law firm departments) specializing in nonprofit law about what they do, why they do it, and how they got there.
Universities and hospitals are the two largest types of nonprofit organizations. This career panel will feature in-house counsel at four southern California institutes of higher education. Hear from them what issues they deal with, what drew them to work at colleges and universities, what paths they took to these jobs, and what advise they would give you if you're interested in working as university counsel.
Speakers:
Steve Atlee, Deputy General Counsel, California Institute of Technology & Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Ina Bryant, Interim Deputy Campus Counsel, UCLA
Nora Kahn, General Counsel, Occidental College
Beong Soo Kim, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, USC
Moderated by:
Rose Chan Loui, Founding Executive Director | Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofits
*Please RSVP by no later than COB on Wednesday October 23, 2024
*In accordance with UCLA's Single-Use plastic policy we encourage all students to use personal reusable bottles to fill up with water in one of our filling stations within the Law School. *This is a private event open to UCLA School of Law students, faculty, staff and affiliates only.
Nonpartisan Advocacy: How501(c)(3)s Can Educate and Advocate During Election Season
Though public charities must remain nonpartisan, they have a critical role to play throughout the election cycle! Not only can public charities engage in issue advocacy during election season, but they can also conduct robust voter and candidate education campaigns and mobilize the public to get out the vote. After this session, you will have a better understanding of how to safely engage in nonpartisan advocacy during an election.
Participants will learn:
- How you can continue to advocate for your issues during election years;
- How you can educate the public through candidate forums and questionnaires;
- How you can respond to candidate statements objectively;
- How you can conduct nonpartisan voter registration and ensure get-out-the-vote efforts are conducted legally;
- How you can safely support or oppose ballot measures without being partisan; and
- How staff and volunteers’ partisan activities in their personal time can be kept separate from their activities on behalf of the organization.
This session complements The Rules of the Game: A Guide to Election-Related Activities for 501(c)(3) Organizations.
Speakers: Nona Randois, General Counsel, Alliance for Justice
Moderator: Rose Chan Loui, Executive Director, Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofits
UCLA School of Law is a State Bar of California approved MCLE provider. This session is approved for 1.25 hours of MCLE credit.