Professional Experience

Mr. Nguyen specializes in the representation of tax-exempt organizations.  He advises a broad range of organizations on all aspects of their operations, including choice of entity and formation, IRS and state income tax exemptions, state and local property and sales and use tax exemptions, governance, fundraising, contracts, risk management, mergers, divisions, and dissolution.  Mr. Nguyen has also represented tax-exempt organizations successfully in resolving complex disputes with the IRS and state authorities relating to tax-exempt status, in obtaining IRS private letter rulings on novel issues, and in the acquisitions of charitable subsidiaries and assets in both the domestic and international arenas.  He is qualified to advise charitable directors and trustees on such fiduciary and tax issues arising under federal and state laws as intermediate sanctions, self-dealings, and other conflicts of interest.

Mr. Nguyen has also served the charitable community in various volunteer capacities, including serving on the Board of Directors of the Northern California Planned Giving Council and BayKids, the Investment Committee of Horizons Foundation, the Audit Committee of the Asian Pacific Fund (Chair), and advising a number of other charitable organizations on a pro bono basis.

Mr. Nguyen grew up in Vietnam and emigrated to the United States as a refugee in 1975.  In 1984, he began a career in research and manufacturing at Dow Chemical Company, first as a research specialist, and then as a manager for a number of high-tech projects and manufacturing facilities in Michigan and California.

Education

Golden Gate University, LL.M., Taxation, 2003.

University of California, Hastings College of the Law, J.D., 1997.

Oregon State University, B.S., Chemical Engineering, 1984.

Memberships & Activities

Member,  State Bar of California.

Member, Bar Association of San Francisco.

Adjunct Professor of Law, Golden Gate University School of Law LLM Program, “Tax Aspects of Charitable Giving,” Summer 2009 & 2010.

Honors & Awards

Elected as Vice President of Northern California Planned Giving Council, 2011.

Named a "San Francisco Chronicle: San Francisco's Top Attorney," 2010-Present.

Mr. Nguyen was selected by his peers to be listed in The Best Lawyers in America, in 2010-2012, for Non-Profit/Charities Law.

Publications

Co-author, "Tax-Exempt Financing for Non-Profit Corporations,"  in Advising California Nonprofit Corporations (CEB, 2009).

Speaking Engagements

Speaker, "Shopping for a Philanthropic Vehicle?  Choosing the Right Model!" Sponsored by Community Foundation Sonoma County, November 9, 2011.

Co-Speaker with Partner Jeff Nguyen, “The Road Less Traveled: Alternatives to Private Foundations and CRTs,” 2010 Conference of Charitable Giving Sponsored by Stanford University and Silicon Valley Community Foundation, May 11, 2010.

Speaker, “Charitable Gifts of Complex Assets,” Peninsula Professional Subcommittee of the Jewish Community Federation, March 22, 2010.