Nancy P. Lee serves as Of Counsel in the firm’s Health Care and Federal Grants practice groups. She focuses on business transactions, nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations, commercial and health care law, particularly acquisitions and sales of businesses, business counseling, governance and tax-exemption matters, contract negotiation and preparation, corporate mergers, joint ventures and secured financing transactions.

Prior to starting her own law firm, Ms. Lee was a shareholder and Of Counsel at three of Sacramento’s preeminent law firms with a Corporate Finance practice group and Corporate and Business practice team. Ms. Lee is an AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated lawyer, the highest rating given by Martindale-Hubbell for legal ability and ethical standards.

Ms. Lee serves as general counsel to a number of California corporations, both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Her advice to nonprofits, principally trade associations, public charities and private foundations, focuses on formation, governance, tax-exemption and compliance matters, and relationships between affiliated for-profit and nonprofit entities. With a master’s degree in business administration, Ms. Lee is distinctively positioned to provide legal advice with an understanding of a businessperson’s perspective and an appreciation of business issues.

In addition to her legal experience, Ms. Lee has extensive nonprofit consulting knowledge in a broad range of nonprofit governance areas, including board roles and responsibilities, board composition and development, organizational structure, culture and capacity-building, board and staff relations, board assessments, strategic planning and governance design and support. She has also served on the boards of more than 20 local, statewide and national nonprofit organizations.

Representative Matters

  • Asset acquisition of a software company with covenants not to compete and post-closing employment of principal.
  • Asset acquisitions of professional services firms in the building and construction industry for stock and cash with covenants not to compete and post-closing employment of principals.
  • Asset sale of a security firm where a portion of the consideration is paid in an “earn-out.”
  • Purchase of limited liability company membership interest from the U.S. Government.
  • Representation of a nonprofit in the health care industry in an asset sale in excess of $50 million and formation of a successor charitable organization in transactions involving the Superior Court and Attorney General.
  • Representation of multiple clients in the formation and tax- exemption of trade associations in the hospitality, social and human services industries; charitable organizations in the arts, education and environmental areas; and private corporate and family foundations.
  • Representation of a statewide nonprofit in connection with a $2 million grant in its contracts for goods and services and subsequent constituent agreements.
  • Representation of nonprofit borrowers in four separate commercial lending and bond transactions from $2 million to $50 million.

Honors/Awards

  • AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Named in Sacramento Magazine Top Lawyers List (2015, 2019-2023)
  • Named in Sacramento Business Journal Best of the Bar (2017 and 2019)
  • Women’s Leadership Award, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (2005 and 2012)
  • Trailblazer Award, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (1999)
  • The Rosalie M. Stern Award, California Alumni Association of the University of California, Berkeley (1996)
  • Unity Award, Asian Bar Association of Sacramento, the Wiley W. Manuel Bar Association and La Raza Lawyers of Sacramento (1996)
  • Woman Warrior Award, Chemical Dependency Center for Women (1995)
  • Order of the Golden Bear, University of California, Berkeley

Published Works

  • Interview, “Change Will Do You Good: New Issues in Non-Profit Law,” 7 U.C. Davis Bus. L.J. 10 (2007)
A headshot of Nancy P. Lee, Of Counsel

Education

  • M.B.A., University of California, Los Angeles (1985)
  • J.D., University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (1983)
  • B.S., University of California, Berkeley (1980)

Bar/Court Admissions

  • California
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Publications

Certifications

  • UCLA’s Director Training and Certification Program
  • BoardSource Certified Governance Consultant

Professional Memberships / Affiliations

  • American Bar Association
  • Asian/Pacific Bar Association of Sacramento
  • National Asian Pacific Bar American Bar Association
  • Sacramento County Bar Association