Free Legal Clinic - Understanding Contracts: A Nonprofit Hands-On Clinic with Pro Bono Attorneys

The clinic will begin with a brief educational presentation from a Lawyers Alliance staff attorney about contract basics and issues that are relevant to nonprofits. It will help you understand what your organization is committing to when it signs certain contracts and when it is prudent to seek legal advice before doing so. We will discuss how to negotiate a contract that is fair to all sides, as well as when and how to try to renegotiate a contract as a means of controlling costs or meeting contract deliverables. Finally, the presentation will discuss when you can terminate a contract that is not working and at what cost to your organization. Next, each participating organization will meet with an attorney who has reviewed your contract in advance and is volunteering with Lawyers Alliance to discuss issues within the contract that your organization has selected for review or discussion. The attorney may suggest edits to your contract, which you can keep after the clinic. Examples of appropriate contracts for this clinic include vendor contracts, template agreements used with program partners or participants, management services agreement, memorandum of understanding.

Who Should Attend: Executive directors, senior managers, or Board members of New York nonprofit organizations.

Space is limited to no more than 2 attendees per organization.

To RSVP: Spots are limited, so sign up soon!

To reserve a spot for this clinic, please complete the fillable form available here.