Biography
Karen I. Wu is a partner at Perlman & Perlman, LLP, a nationally recognized law firm serving the nonprofit and social enterprise sector. Karen leads the firm’s Washington, DC office. Karen advises nonprofit organizations on corporate governance, federal tax law compliance, fundraising regulation, contract negotiations, and intellectual property matters. She also counsels a broad range of for-profit businesses, including Fortune 500 and start-up companies, on emerging issues involving corporate philanthropy, cause marketing, and technology-driven fundraising, including corporate sponsorships, commercial co-ventures, social media campaigns, and charitable fundraising platforms. She also advises clients on corporate transactions, including mergers, asset transfers, and dissolutions, as well as corporate structuring, including establishment of affiliate structures and for-profit or nonprofit subsidiaries. Karen is a frequent author, blogger, and speaker on legal issues affecting the philanthropic sector. Karen served as the Chair of the DC Bar’s Exempt Organizations Committee from 2024-24, and as its Vice Chair from 2021-23. She received the Nonprofit Outstanding Young Lawyer Award from the American Bar Association in 2013.