Jerald A. Jacobs

Jerald (Jerry) A. Jacobs is a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in Washington, DC. He leads Pillsbury’s Nonprofit Organizations practice, which provides legal counseling and advocacy for over 200 national trade associations, professional societies, cause organizations, credentialing agencies, and charities. One of the more unique practices in the United States, Jacobs' practice includes a wide range of areas as they affect nonprofit organizations: antitrust and trade regulation, health law, litigation, corporate governance, transactions, federal income tax exemption, and federal legislative and regulatory issues. His experience is international in scope and he has advised the governments of the EU and the Peoples’ Republic of China on nongovernmental organization issues.

Jacobs serves as General Counsel to ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership, the 24,000-member national “association of associations.” He has also written or edited a dozen books on nonprofit organization law, including the standard text Association Law Handbook, now in its 4th edition.

Since 2009, Jacobs has been listed in Best Lawyers in America as a leading non-profits organizations attorney and has been cited as an Outstanding Nonprofit Attorney by the American Bar Association.

Representative matters include:

+ Merged two major national trade associations in the financial services industry, each with competing programs and complex structures, into one large association.

+ Represented a major national trade association of retailers in plaintiffs' class action antitrust litigation resulting in a multi-billion-dollar settlement including extensive prospective transaction relief.

+ Assisted a national cause organization in developing a sequence of endorsed products and services used by millions of members, with the programs conforming to federal income tax exemption requirements.

+ Created the structure and vehicle for a membership organization-owned investment company that is marketed to consumers.

+ Assisted a national trade association in the entertainment industry in negotiating two joint ventures to conduct industry exhibitions, one in Europe and one in Asia.

+ Combined two professional societies of corporate executives into one, overcoming an extended proxy battle to obtain the necessary membership approval in one of the societies.

+Assisted a national medical specialty society in amending federal patent law to preclude enforcement of patents on medical or surgical procedures unrelated to pharmaceuticals or devices.

+Merged the fifty separate state chapters of a major federated health charity into the national organization.

+ On a pro bono basis, merged a national arts organization for the handicapped into the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

+ Created a limited liability company to provide information to consumers and to governments on the good standing of licensed professionals in the financial services industry.

+ Advised an automobile industry association on the development of voluntary industry safety and performance standards for automobile repair.

+ Brought litigation on behalf of a national professional certification organization against a vendor of testing administration services, resulting in monetary and injunctive relief.

+ Prepared a brief amicus curiae to achieve an appellate court decision favorable to the constituency of a professional scientific society.

+ Advised a national association of specialty physicians on code of ethics enforcement criteria and procedures addressing members' expert testimony in tort litigation.

+ Assisted a large national trade association in recruiting a new chief executive officer by offering benefits effectively replicating those of a business corporation.

+ Combined five separate national organizations in an amateur sport into one major entity with three million members and five thousand state and local chapters.

Books currently available through Amazon.com:

Jacobs, J., The Legal Guide to Nonprofit Mergers & Joint Ventures, American Society of Association Executives, 2011.

Jacobs, J., Association Law Handbook: A Practical Guide for Associations, Societies, and Charities, 4e, American Society of Association Executives, 2007.

Jacobs, J., Association Law Update. The 2009 Supplement to Association Law Handbook, 4e, American Society of Association Executives, 2009.

Jacobs, J., Co-author with Glassie, J. Certification and Accreditation Law Handbook, 2e, American Society of Association Executives, 2004.

Jacobs, J., Editor. Associations and the Law. American Society of Association Executives, 2002.

Contact information:

Jerald A. Jacobs

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

2300 N Street NW

Washington, DC 20037-1122

202/663-8000

jerry.jacobs@pillsburylaw.com