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Phone: 617.426.5900
Email: cowden@casneredwards.com
General business and corporate; nonprofit organizations;
charitable gifts and grants; governmental
regulation and contracts.
As a partner in the firm, Robert Cowden
concentrates his practice on the affairs
of nonprofit organizations. He serves
as counsel to operating charitable organizations,
many of which are educational or social
services organizations, to trade associations
and to grant-making foundations. His work
for these organizations includes the following
subject areas:
- Business and corporate matters: initial
organizational issues and incorporation;
structuring multi-corporate arrangements;
mergers; purchases and sales of assets;
conventional and tax-exempt bond financing;
corporate governance, including fiduciary
duties of directors and officers;
executive compensation and employment
agreements; insolvency and receiverships;
structure and modification of charitable
gifts; management of charitable
funds; and real estate projects for operating entities. Mr. Cowden has served as court-appointed
receiver for insolvent charitable
organizations at the request of the
Massachusetts Attorney General and as an expert witness
in litigation involving issues of
fiduciary duties of directors and
attorney malpractice.
- Tax matters: securing and maintaining
tax-exempt status; unrelated business
income tax; intermediate sanctions;
legislative and political activities;
private foundation excise-tax rules;
tax-deductions for current charitable
gifts; state sales taxes; and local
property taxes.
- Governmental affairs: government
grants, contracts and competitive
procurements; compliance with charities
laws; licensure requirements; rate
regulation for educational and social
services programs; audits and related
protests; exemption from local zoning
requirements; drafting legislation
and associated legal memoranda; testimony
on government regulations; and lobbyist
registration and reporting.
Mr. Cowden also represents individuals
and closely-held businesses in the fields
of architecture and publishing.
Mr. Cowden has participated as speaker
and author in numerous continuing education
programs. He serves as director,
secretary and chair of the compensation committee of United Way of Massachusetts
Bay, Inc., as an Overseer of WGBH Educational
Foundation and as a trustee of several grant-making
foundations. He is a past Co - Chairman of the
Boston Bar Association Committee on Tax-Exempt
Organizations. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® and has been recognized as a Super-Lawyer® by Boston Magazine.
Mr. Cowden is a cum laude graduate
of Dartmouth College, where he was elected
to Phi Beta Kappa, and Harvard Law School.
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