For Judy Siegel, working at Pro Bono Partnership allows her to combine many of her loves – the law, teaching, and working with nonprofits – on a daily basis. After 25+ years working in the public and private sector, Judy decided that working with nonprofits in a professional capacity was how she wanted to spend her time and where her legal skills would best be utilized. A lifetime of volunteer activity and board service shaped this decision, and the practical advice she now offers her nonprofit clients.

As a Senior Staff Attorney at Pro Bono Partnership, Judy provides a wide variety of legal services to nonprofits in New York and Connecticut. In addition to incorporating nonprofits and helping them obtain their 501(c)(3) status, she provides direct legal service and guidance on nonprofit/tax-exempt law, charitable solicitation and fundraising, corporate governance, contract matters, and capacity building. Judy is a trusted counselor and advisor to clients on a variety of business legal needs, including intellectual property, employment law, real estate, lending/finance, mergers and collaboration, and volunteer activity.

Judy lectures frequently on topics relevant to nonprofit executives and board members, including the New York State Not-for-Profit Corporation law, Six Strategies to a Better Board, Effective and Efficient Boards and Board Meetings, Top 10 Legal Issues Facing Nonprofits and Lobbying and Political Activity for Nonprofits. Judy’s workshops are perennial favorites, and have been praised as instructive and accessible with lessons and practical tips that are easy to implement.

Prior to Pro Bono Partnership, Judy worked in private practice at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, Tenzer Greenblatt (now Blank Rome LLP), and Kittay & Gershfeld, P.C. She also served as the Assistant Attorney General in Charge of the Westchester Regional Office of the New York State Attorney General’s Office. Judy graduated cum laude from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and magna cum laude from Boston University School of Law. She has served on various boards and grants committees.

Judy has received numerous awards and recognition for her work. Most recently, she was honored by SPARC, Inc., a Westchester County nonprofit that offers recreational, arts, athletics, and wellness programs for members of the Westchester County special needs community and Tails of Hope Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit in the tristate area that, among other things, supports working and retired military and police dogs and the officers and soldiers they serve with. Judy often claims she has the world’s most coveted lawyer job because she gets to see the best in people each and every day.