Gene Takagi

Gene Takagi is the managing attorney of NEO Law Group, contributing publisher of the Nonprofit Law Blog, and a part-time lecturer at Columbia University. At NEO, Gene has represented over 800 nonprofit organizations on corporate, tax, and charitable trust law matters. Gene is a popular writer on nonprofit legal topics and has been published by The New York Times, The Nonprofit Quarterly, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Nonprofit Times, Taxation of Exempts, EO Tax Journal, and ALI-ABA. He is also a popular speaker who has presented at conferences for Independent Sector, BoardSource, NAAG/National Association of State Charity Officials, CalNonprofits, the American Bar Association (ABA), the Western Conference on Tax Exempt Organizations, Georgetown Nonprofit Governance, the Northern California Planned Giving Council, and numerous bar and CPA associations. Gene has been a regular contributor to Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio since 2010.

Gene’s professional experiences are diverse: corporate attorney for Sheppard Mullin, professor of nonprofit law at USF and Saint Mary’s University of MN, director of the medical and behavior divisions of the SF SPCA, & management consultant for Allders Int’l. This background helps him provide clear, understandable legal advice with an appreciation of the relevant business issues. Gene, a graduate of UCLA School of Law and of USF’s Master of Nonprofit Administration program, is a recipient of multiple awards, including Outstanding Nonprofit Lawyer (ABA Nonprofit Committee, 2016), Outstanding Barrister (Bar Association of San Francisco), and Northern California Super Lawyer (2015-2021). He currently serves on the boards of BoardSource and The Nonprofit Quarterly; the planning committee of the WCTEO; and the board of advisors of the Center on Philanthropy and the Law at NYU School of Law. He previously served on the boards of CompassPoint, Community Initiatives, and Net Impact, and the public policy committee of Independent Sector.

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