Continuing its pursuit of spreading knowledge of pertinent laws and rules to the Orthodox community, Agudath Israel of America, in conjunction with Agudath Israel of New Jersey, will be hosting a legal workshop to take place at the Park Terrace hall in Lakewood, New Jersey on the evening of Thursday, November 12, 2009, from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. The workshop will be geared toward issues affecting gemachs, mosdos and shuls – essentially any not-for-profit organization or institution that deals with money – and will cover topics under both federal law as well as New Jersey state law.

This event will in many respects follow the format of a prior workshop that Agudath Israel sponsored in Brooklyn on September 23, which drew close to 200 participants (reported HERE on YWN). As part of the program, the panelists will comment on actions of a fictional scenario to illustrate common-day activities and the legal issues associated with them. “We will examine what activities may be done and how they may be done in accordance with the law” says Yehuda Kupfer, an Agudah lawyer planning the event. The panelists will also seek to set in place a framework for an organization to help ensure it is acting in compliance with the law.

The topics that will be discussed will include: organizational structure and the kinds of activities in which an organization may (and may not) engage; the taxability of unrelated business income; tax exempt qualification and activities that may jeopardize such qualification; record keeping requirements; filing requirements, including a discussion of the yearly 990 filing; required corporate formalities; criminal law issues including money laundering, tax evasion/tax avoidance, benefits fraud and the “know your customer” requirement; required filing of forms for cash deposits and suspicious activities; and banking & licensing requirements including activities that may require an organization to be licensed as a bank, money service business, money transmitter, and check casher.

A panel of prestigious lawyers and an accountant has been assembled, each an expert in his area. The panel will consist of: Robert C. Cleary, Esq., a partner at the law firm of Proskauer Rose LLP who has formerly served as the U.S. Attorney of New Jersey and Illinois, and as the chief of the Major Crimes Unit for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York; Mark D. Harris, Esq., also a partner at Proskauer Rose LLP, who specializes in white-collar criminal defense and is also a former federal prosecutor; Avraham C. Moskowitz, Esq., partner at the law firm of Moskowitz Book & Walsh LLP and a former federal prosecutor; Robert A. Schwartz, Esq., partner at the law firm of Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP, who specializes in bank regulatory and corporate issues; Allen M. Silk, Esq., a shareholder at the law firm of Stark & Stark LLP, who specializes in business organizations and not-for-profits; and Gershon Biegeleisen, CPA, of Gershon Biegeleisen and Company.

“We are looking forward to a large turnout, similar to our prior events,” says Agudath Israel Associate General Counsel, Rabbi Mordechai Biser. “Given the current legal climate and the range of important issues that will be discussed, I don’t see how anyone for whom the issues are pertinent can miss it.”

All those interested in registering for this event should please email [email protected] or call 212-797-9000 ext. 306.

(YWN Desk – NYC)