von Briesen provides legal counsel and assistance to religious organizations. Our clients include church-affiliated hospitals, foundations, long-term care facilities, primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, and other service organizations. We also represent: religious denominations; religious orders; local parishes, churches, synagogues, and congregations (both denominational and nondenominational); parachurch organizations; and seminaries.

Our years of experience working with religious organizations provide us with an understanding of the federal, state, and local laws unique to such organizations and the Constitutional principles involved with the exercise of religious freedom. Perhaps more importantly, however, our years of experience provide us with a heightened sense of how our work might help promote an organization’s mission.

Our services for religious organizations include advising our clients regarding:

• Corporate matters
• Health law
• Canon law
• Federal and state income, real estate and sales tax exemptions
• Employment law and employment tax
• School law
• Internal governance matters and congregational dispute resolution
• Immigration law
• Employee benefits law, including health and welfare plans and retirement plans and the unique laws applicable to church plans
• Tax considerations for ministers and clergy
• HIPAA
• Land use matters
• Regulatory compliance
• Probate and estate related issues
• Construction and financing arrangements
• Environmental issues, litigation, real estate, and landlord/tenant matters