Carolyn is a partner in the Business & Finance Department and was Managing Partner of the firm’s Pittsburgh office from 2001 to 2006. She is currently Corporate Secretary for the firm and a member of the firm's Executive Committee. The greatest part of Carolyn's practice involves matters for exempt organizations, including public charities, private foundations, and trade associations.

She has extensive experience in representing exempt organizations before the Internal Revenue Service and the federal courts. She regularly obtains and defends an organization’s exempt status, including representing clients on issues such as unrelated business taxable income, intermediate sanctions, and the private foundation excise taxes.

Carolyn provides day-to-day advice to a wide variety of tax-exempt organizations. She has received numerous private letter rulings on behalf of clients that have permitted them to further their exempt purposes. She also has planned complicated restructurings of exempt organizations, including the creation of affiliated entities as well as the sale of exempt organizations to for-profit entities.

Exempt organizations are nonprofit entities, and Carolyn is fully versed in the applicable nonprofit laws. She regularly provides advice to governing boards concerning their fiduciary duties. In addition, she has particular expertise with respect to the legal issues affecting investments by nonprofit organizations.

A significant aspect of Carolyn’s practice includes charitable contribution issues, such as planned giving and other matters of interest to development professionals. Clients rely on her to provide quick, concise answers to involved charitable-giving questions and to draft the appropriate documents; and she has written and spoken extensively on various issues relevant to exempt organizations and charitable giving as well.