Mr. Fournier works on a broad range of tax issues for tax-exempt organizations and assists high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) and their families in achieving their philanthropic objectives.
Mr. Fournier provides tax-exempt clients with comprehensive legal advice. He offers guidance to some of the nation’s largest private foundations, numerous public charities with both domestic and international operations, prominent U.S. Universities, large religious denominations with complicated entity structures, advocacy programs with related 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) entities, and other tax-exempt entities on a variety of legal matters. Mr. Fournier specializes in providing creative solutions that allow tax-exempt entities to fulfill their missions while complying with IRS requirements. He has advised on a range of issues, including:
- counseling on the creation of joint ventures and the operation of subsidiaries and affiliated nonprofits;
- minimizing unrelated business income tax;
- evaluating private foundation tax compliance over both investment and operational activities;
- advising on international grantmaking and cross-border operations, including associated withholding and reporting requirements;
- providing training on IRS lobbying and campaign activity restrictions;
- assisting with IRS compliance and reporting; and
- helping clients establish and maintain exempt status.
In addition, Mr. Fournier assists HNWIs and their families in designing and implementing strategies to achieve philanthropic goals. Examples of Mr. Fournier's legal services include:
- advising on the operation and governance of family foundations;
- devising philanthropic plans that utilize direct charitable giving, donor advised funds, charitable remainder trusts, and family foundations; and
- assisting domestic and international clients with developing sophisticated estate plans, including planning for lifetime gifts, charitable giving, and dynastic transfers.
Prior to attending law school, Mr. Fournier served as a Nuclear Submarine Warfare Officer in the United States Navy. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Caplin & Drysdale Announces the Election of Four New Members, October 1, 2019
- William Fournier Comments on Make Your Date Organization, Detroit Free Press, May 9, 2019
- Super Lawyers® Recognizes 22 Caplin & Drysdale Attorneys in D.C., Super Lawyers, April 22, 2019
- Caplin & Drysdale Honors All Who Served in Our Nation's Military, Caplin & Drysdale, November 11, 2016
- Caplin & Drysdale Attorneys Comment on Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Tax Notes, December 11, 2015
- Caplin & Drysdale Salutes Our Veterans, Caplin & Drysdale, November 11, 2014
- Exempt Organizations Group Hosts Nonprofit Leaders, Caplin & Drysdale, October 6, 2014
Click here for a full list of media coverage.
- Form 990-PF Workshop, The University of Texas School of Law CLE, Nonprofit Organizations Back to Basics Workshop, January 16, 2019
- Speaker, Nonprofit Organizations Network Call, Association of Corporate Counsel, September 11, 2018
- Speaker, Employee Sharing: The Lay of the Land, and Where You Can Go Wrong, TEGE Exempt Organizations Council Program: TEGE Exempt Organizations Update, June 15, 2018
- Speaker, Recent Developments in Federal Estate and Gift Tax, The Maryland Association of CPAs, November 15, 2016
- Speaker, Chan-Zuckerberg & Friends: Using Philanthrocapitalism to Accomplish Charitable Goals: Will Foundations Become an Endangered Species?, ABA Business Law Section, September 9, 2016
- Speaker, Form 990 and Other IRS Reporting Issues for Related Organizations, Washington Metropolitan Area Corporate Counsel Association (WMACCA), Nonprofits and Associations Forum: Wearing Multiple Hats - Common Challenges for GCs Advising Related Organizations, October 1, 2014
- Panelist, Auto-Revocation Reinstatement Procedures, D.C. Bar Tax Section, Exempt Organizations Committee, May 21, 2014
Click here for a full list of speaking engagements.
- "Update on Nonprofit Donor Disclosure Requirements: IRS Tries Again,"
with Sharon P. Want, Meghan R. Biss, Douglas N. Varley, and William M. Klimon, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, September 10, 2019
- "Update on Nonprofit Donor Disclosure Requirements,"
with Sharon P. Want, Meghan R. Biss, Douglas N. Varley, and William M. Klimon, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, August 1, 2019
- "Applying for Federal Tax-Exemption Under Section 501(c)(3),"
Practical Law, April 26, 2019
- "UPDATED: Year-End Charitable Giving Ideas: IRA Rollovers and "Bunching" Charitable Deductions,"
with Beth Shapiro Kaufman, Anne J. O'Brien, Megan E. Wernke, and Alison F. Egan, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, November 28, 2018
- "IRS Issues Guidance on Calculating Unrelated Business Income Tax,"
with Meghan R. Biss, Sharon P. Want, and Douglas N. Varley, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, August 23, 2018
- "IRS Donor Disclosure Requirements Eliminated for Most Nonprofit Organizations,"
with Sharon P. Want, Meghan R. Biss, Douglas N. Varley, and William M. Klimon, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, July 17, 2018
- "New IRS Procedures Will Impact Nonprofits,"
with Douglas N. Varley, Sharon P. Want, and Meghan R. Biss, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, January 25, 2018
- "Possible Repeal of the Estate Tax in 2017,"
with Beth Shapiro Kaufman, Anne J. O'Brien, and Megan E. Wernke, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, December 5, 2016
- "2016 Federal and State Estate Gift Tax Exemptions for D.C., Maryland, and Virginia,"
with Beth Shapiro Kaufman, Anne J. O'Brien, and Megan E. Wernke, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, December 28, 2015
- "Charitable IRA Rollovers Made Permanent In Recent Extenders Bill,"
with Beth Shapiro Kaufman, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, December 21, 2015
- "HR1104 Would Unintentionally Eliminate Private Foundation Safeguards,"
The Hill, June 16, 2015
- "Maryland Taxpayers Win Income Tax Case in Supreme Court,"
with Beth Shapiro Kaufman, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, May 20, 2015
- "Maryland Estate Tax Exemption Set to Rise,"
with Beth Shapiro Kaufman, Anne J. O'Brien, and Megan E. Wernke, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, May 16, 2014
- "New York Adopts Substantial Changes to Laws Regulating Nonprofits,"
with Douglas N. Varley and William M. Klimon, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, December 20, 2013
- "Wisconsin Court Holds Parsonage Allowance Unconstitutional,"
with Douglas N. Varley and William M. Klimon, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, November 27, 2013
- "Washington Post Releases Database of Reported Nonprofit Asset Diversions,"
with Douglas N. Varley and William M. Klimon, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, October 30, 2013
- "Stalled Applications for Section 501(c)(3) Status: Is it Time to Sue the IRS?,"
with Douglas N. Varley and William M. Klimon, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, August 16, 2013
- "IRS Confirms Deductibility of Contributions to Domestic Disregarded Entities,"
with Douglas N. Varley and William M. Klimon, Caplin & Drysdale Client Alert, August 3, 2012
Click here for a full list of publications.
