Janice M. Ryan
Partner
Janice serves as outside general counsel and political counsel to several prominent 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations engaged in high-profile nationwide issue advocacy campaigns and efforts to influence elections. She also advises federal and state super PACs, candidates, and corporate and association PACs. Janice’s specific areas of experience include:
- Tax-exempt Organizations
- Formation and ongoing representation of 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), 501(c)(6), and 527 organizations
- Corporate governance
- Conflicts of interest
- IRS restrictions on lobbying and political activities
- IRS audits and tax controversy
- Unrelated business income tax (UBIT)
- Form 990 reporting
- Private benefit and private inurement
- Executive compensation
- Charitable deductions
- State and local tax-exemption and reporting
- Affiliate and subsidiary relationships
- Related 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations
- For-profit and not-for-profit subsidiaries
- National and state/local chapters
- Mergers and acquisitions, asset transfers, dissolutions
- Fundraising regulation
- Volunteers
- Political Law
- Lobbying disclosure (federal, state, local)
- Registration and reporting
- Audits and enforcement
- Compliance systems
- Campaign finance (federal, state, local)
- PACs and super PACs
- Candidates and campaigns
- Ballot committees
- Political contributions
- Audits and enforcement
- Political advertising
- Government ethics and gift rules (federal, state, local)
- Pay-to-play regulation
- State voter file and voter registration regulations
- Internal compliance systems and training
- Lobbying disclosure (federal, state, local)
- General Counseling
- Start-up counseling
- Contract drafting and negotiation
- Intellectual property (trademark and copyright)
- Insurance coverage
- Employee/independent contractor classification
- Privacy and data security counseling
Related Practices
Related Industries
Experience
Experience
Government Experience
- Legislative aid, United States Senate, Office of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Representative Matters
- Represents major gun safety advocacy organization, providing ongoing general counseling, including advising on lobbying and political activities compliance, tax-exempt status matters, contracts, branding, fundraising, governance, and volunteer and affiliate relationships
- Represents fiscal sponsor of innovative nonprofit advocacy projects engaged in fast-paced, high-profile grassroots campaigns to influence public policy and elections ($30+ million in 2017-2018)
- Formed and advised super PACs that collectively spent over $50 million in 2018 U.S. House races
- Advises one of nation’s 50 largest law firms on partnership contributions and lobbying disclosure, and successfully represented another top-50 law firm in FEC investigation involving allegations of illegal, in-kind contributions
- Serves as general counsel to candidates for U.S. Congress and potential presidential candidates, advising on the FEC’s “testing-the-waters” regulations, personal financial disclosure statements, coordination with outside parties, and other complex rules
- Counseled social welfare organization operating ballot committees in multiple states with committee formation, reporting, advertising review, and ongoing state campaign finance compliance
- Assisted a nonprofit social welfare organization with mission-related investments, managing legal team to form for-profit subsidiary entities and acquire for-profit companies
Insights
Insights
Credentials
Credentials
Education
- J.D. summa cum laude Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law 2008
- Associate Editor, The Catholic University Law Review
- Recipient, The John L. Garvey Faculty Award
- A.B. Dartmouth College 2000
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
Court Admissions
- U.S. Tax Court
Professional Memberships and Activities
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, Maryland State Bar Association
Recognition
Recognition
- Chambers USA, Up and Coming, Political Law, Nationwide, 2022 – 2023
- Legal 500, Tax – Not-for-Profit (nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations), 2020, 2023 – 2024