John E. Christopher is a partner at Manley Burke, LPA. He primarily practices in the areas of nonprofit organizations, business organizations, tax, and estate planning.
John’s tax focused education and his years of experience in working with a broad variety of nonprofit organizations (both charities and non-charities) allow him to provide focused, relevant and usable legal advice to his nonprofit clients in all phases of their operations, from creation and start up through termination. More specifically, he represents operating and non-operating private foundations ranging from those affiliated with Fortune 100® listed companies to small family foundations. His public charity representation covers all varieties of public charities including hospitals and hospital-supporting organizations, national church foundations, college and university-affiliated organizations, museums, arts organizations, cultural organizations, community organizations, ministries, youth sports organizations and national fraternal organizations and their related foundations, among many other mission-driven organizations. John’s experience in representing nonprofit clients includes corporate governance and fund stewardship, domestic and foreign grant-making, maintaining the corporate integrity of affiliated organizations, policy and procedure drafting and review, self-dealing and excess benefits transactions review and guidance, and representation of organizations facing IRS audit. He is a frequent speaker and has presented at numerous seminars, institutes and client training programs.
John’s representation of for-profit enterprises is similarly broad-based and varied. He advises closely held for-profit companies, including corporations and limited liability companies, across a broad spectrum of issues including tax-efficient operations and transactions, corporate governance, corporate “best practices,” and mergers and acquisitions.
John works with individuals and families to help transition family businesses and assets during life and at death in a tax-efficient manner while keeping the client’s goals the priority. His estate planning clients range from new parents with relatively simple needs to large estates and those with sensitive or complex issues.