Ms. Drummond was former in-house counsel at The Nature Conservancy and Associated Builders and Contractors; joins one of the country’s leading nonprofit law practices
Washington, DC – May 31, 2016 – Adding to its stature as the country's leading legal advisor to nonprofit organizations, Venable LLP announced that veteran NGO, nonprofit, and association attorney Anita Drummond has joined the firm as a counsel in its Washington, DC office.
Ms. Drummond arrives directly from The Nature Conservancy, one of the nation's largest and best-endowed environmental nonprofits, where she served as associate general counsel for the last decade.
At The Nature Conservancy, Ms. Drummond led a large team for the international NGO, handling legal and compliance-related issues on six continents. She helped lead the Conservancy's expansion into new geographies, structured major partnership arrangements, developed new sources of revenue and mission-driven activities, designed new entities for ballot-measure advocacy, and created new investment vehicles. She also supported the chief compliance officer and director of internal audits in international compliance and risk issues.
Ms. Drummond provided legal counsel on the numerous issues and opportunities of nonprofits, including governance structures, private and public funding sources, domestic and international laws regulating charitable organizations, investment vehicles, corporate engagements, human resources, intellectual property, technology, government relations, and marketing.
Prior to working at the Conservancy, Ms. Drummond was director of legal affairs at the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), one of the leading trade associations for the U.S. construction industry. She provided oversight of over 50 affiliated chapter organizations and served as a spokesperson to Congress, federal agencies, and the media. Her advocacy helped ABC shape strong public policy, and her counsel led to effective management of legal issues and governance practices.
Jeff Tenenbaum, chair of Venable's market-leading nonprofit Organizations practice group, said of Ms. Drummond's arrival: "Nonprofit organizations face extremely complex rules and regulations in so many areas of their operations and organizational structure. And for those nonprofits with a global reach and/or with federal funding – which is increasingly many of them – the compliance burdens are even greater and more difficult to manage. These organizations need an experienced legal partner to help them achieve the greatest impact while mitigating risk."
"Anita Drummond has seen it all in her career," he continued, "leading in the legal departments at two of the country's larger and more complex nonprofits, The Nature Conservancy and Associated Builders and Contractors. She understands – from the inside – how charities and trade and professional associations operate, and how they want their legal advice delivered, how to keep the focus on the practical, how to be extremely responsive, and how to do it all very cost-efficiently. Moreover, her deep experience at the Conservancy in connection with both federal funding and international operations is a considerable asset. Anita's addition to our nonprofit group will be a major benefit to so many of our clients in this sector, as well as to many of the junior lawyers in our group, who will learn a tremendous amount from her."
Venable's nonprofit organizations practice represents more than 650 clients nationwide and has long been one of the top-ranked nonprofit practices. It has been named a Tier 1 firm by both Legal 500 and U.S. News-Best Lawyers' "Best Law Firms," among numerous other awards and honors.
"I have worked closely with Venable attorneys for many years, having relied on the firm as outside counsel. I have always been impressed by the firm's ability to lay the groundwork as a partner with clients, getting ahead of the issues impacting charities and membership associations," she said.
"Venable's nonprofit group, widely recognized as the finest in its class, provides a holistic approach in servicing the needs of its nonprofit clients. Nonprofits are organizations that are well served by attorneys who can share their vision and the larger legal needs of the organization, which Venable delivers. Ultimately, it is about protecting the assets, growing the revenue, and achieving the mission of your nonprofit client. I'm eager to apply my years of experience from the inside to serving the firm's roster of leading charities, international NGOs, trade and professional associations, tax-exempt institutions, and other nonprofit organizations."
Anita Drummond received her J.D. from George Mason University School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Central Florida.
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Note: Venable LLP is an American Lawyer Global 100 law firm headquartered in Washington, DC, with offices in California, Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Virginia. Our lawyers and legislative advisors serve domestic and international clients in all areas of corporate and business law, complex litigation, intellectual property, regulatory matters, and government affairs. For more information, visit www.Venable.com, and for more information about Venable's nonprofit organizations practice, visit www.Venable.com/nonprofits.