David Lawson

David Lawson represents foundations, hospital and medical research organizations, trade associations, universities, social service providers, and businesses, helping them find innovative ways to benefit their communities more effectively. His knowledge encompasses federal tax exemption, nonprofit governance, charitable trust laws, and lobbying and issue advocacy. 

David has completed dozens of complex transactions, from spinoffs of major programs to multiparty mergers to hospital joint ventures, and he often advises nonprofit boards facing difficult situations. For more than a decade, he has engaged productively with the federal and state regulators that supervise nonprofits, including the successful resolution of significant IRS examinations and attorney general investigations. 

David serves as the chair of the Nonprofit Corporations Committee of the Washington State Bar Association’s Business Law Section. As the committee’s recorder, he played a primary role in drafting Washington’s new Nonprofit Corporation Act, which took effect at the beginning of 2022. 

A longtime volunteer for Communities Rise, David serves as its director and board secretary.