Kleinberg Kaplan has added Sharon Weinberg Nokes as a partner in its Trusts & Estates practice in New York, strengthening the firm’s capabilities across tax-exempt organizations, philanthropy and nonprofit governance.
Nokes joins Kleinberg Kaplan after more than 11 years at The Pew Charitable Trusts, where she most recently served as Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary.
As a member of Pew’s institutional leadership team, Nokes provided legal and strategic advice to the board, C-suite and other senior leaders. Her responsibilities covered corporate governance, tax compliance, philanthropy and grantmaking, international operations, risk management and complex transactions. She also led a multidisciplinary legal team.
At Kleinberg Kaplan, Nokes will advise private foundations, public charities, family offices, donor-advised funds, endowments, high-net-worth donors and other mission-driven clients on tax-exempt, governance and philanthropic matters.
Her experience includes forming and operating 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations, as well as advising on philanthropy LLCs, supporting organizations and fiscal sponsorship arrangements. She has also worked on impact investments, funder collaboratives, charitable giving strategies, legacy planning and domestic and international grantmaking programs.
Nokes also brings experience handling regulatory and enforcement matters involving nonprofit organizations, including IRS examinations and investigations by state attorneys general.
Before moving in-house, she was a Member of a prominent Washington, D.C. law firm in its nationally recognized Exempt Organizations practice. Earlier in her career, she worked as a tax associate at a global law firm and served as a judicial law clerk to Judge Emily C. Hewitt of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.
Before attending law school, Nokes was a professional musician in the U.S. Air Force. She earned her J.D. magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was named to the Order of the Coif. She also holds degrees from the Manhattan School of Music and the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester.
Nokes is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Maryland, with her admission to the New York bar pending.
She also teaches at Georgetown University Law Center and Columbia University and is affiliated with NYU School of Law’s National Center on Philanthropy and the Law. She is also a frequent speaker on issues affecting nonprofit and philanthropic organizations.
Her addition continues a period of senior-level expansion at Kleinberg Kaplan. The firm said Nokes joins other recent additions including Norris Nissim, Ryan Davis and Tiffanye Threadcraft as it builds capabilities around the needs of its investment funds, family office, institutional and high-net-worth clients.
Kleinberg Kaplan is a New York-based boutique law firm serving investment funds, companies, entrepreneurs, real estate investors, family offices and high-net-worth individuals.
KEY QUOTES:
“At Kleinberg Kaplan, our growth is guided by a simple principle: we invest where our clients need us most. As our high-net-worth, family office, fund and institutional clients increasingly navigate the complexities of philanthropy, charitable structures, and tax-exempt governance, it became clear that adding a partner of Sharon’s caliber and experience was essential. She fills a critical need for clients who want sophisticated, practical counsel at the intersection of wealth planning and philanthropic impact, and she does so with the breadth of experience and real-world judgment that defines the Kleinberg Kaplan approach.”
Andrew Chonoles, Managing Partner of Kleinberg Kaplan
“Sharon’s combination of deep tax-exempt knowledge and senior in-house experience as Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of a major global philanthropic organization is truly distinctive. She brings the ability to advise clients on the full spectrum of nonprofit and philanthropic matters with the credibility and practical insight of someone who has lived these issues from the inside.”
Jeffrey Kolodny, Leader of Kleinberg Kaplan’s Trusts & Estates Department
