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Charity TherapyAuthor: Jess Birken, MNM, JD
What if you could hang out with experienced nonprofit professionals and ask them your burning questions about the day-to-day life of nonprofits? What if you could take their wisdom and bring it back to your organization, for free? That's what we do on Charity Therapy. Hosted by Jess Birken - owner and lawyer at Birken Law Office. Every episode is an in-depth look at how to run a nonprofit, from fundraising to IRS woes to people problems and more! Our goal is to empower nonprofits to achieve your mission by doing things right. Language: en Genres: Business, Management, Non-Profit Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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158: Is Your Ringer On? | How Nonprofits Can Find and Hire a Good Lawyer
Episode 158
Thursday, 19 February, 2026
Finding a lawyer should not feel harder than solving the legal problem itself. And yet, here we are. In this episode, Meghan and I talk about something that comes up constantly in my nonprofit law practice: how nonprofit leaders and boards actually find a good lawyer and how to tell whether someone is the right fit. Real Listener Question: "I am a board member tasked with finding my small nonprofit a lawyer. I am trying to collect five options for the board to review and have the board interview each lawyer. I've prepared an RFP to get information from as many firms as possible. Is there anything else I'm supposed to do to make sure we did a fair search?" We dig into why hiring a lawyer is not the same as hiring other vendors and why an RFP is often the wrong tool for the job. We talk about common misconceptions nonprofits have about fairness, pricing, and process, and why trying to copy large institutions can backfire for smaller organizations. This conversation also pulls back the curtain on how lawyers actually work, what red flags to watch for, and how to avoid overcomplicating a decision that already feels overwhelming. What You'll Learn: How nonprofits typically find lawyers Why RFPs usually do not work for legal services What legal expertise actually looks like How pricing structures should be discussed Warning signs early in the relationship Why "cheapest" is not always best How to trust your gut while doing due diligence Bottom line: Hiring a lawyer does not require a perfect process. It requires clarity, trust, and a focus on finding someone who understands your nonprofit and can actually help you. Resources from this Episode Previous Episode: How Classy May Be Hurting Your Donor Relationships: https://birkenlaw.com/charity-therapy-podcast/ct157-classy-donor-acknowledgement/ Episode Transcript: https://birkenlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/CT158_Transcript.pdf Connect with Us Jess Birken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessbirken/ Meghan Heitkamp: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghan-heitkamp-829254115/ Listen & Engage Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Music Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts: Click "Ratings and Reviews" then "Write a Review" Send us your nonprofit questions: https://birkenlaw.com/podcast/#podcast-story Stay Connected Sign up for the Birken Law Email list: https://birkenlaw.com/signup/ Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
