Headshot of Brigit Kavanagh - non profit lawyer in California

Brigit Kavanagh

senior attorney and Founder

For nearly two decades, Brigit has focused on the laws of nonprofit organizations and charitable gift planning, advising charities, foundations, and their donors on nonprofit tax, trust, and corporate law. Brigit co-founded the firm in 2016 under its former name, Kavanagh Rhomberg LLP. In 2022, the firm changed its name to 1601 Law Group.

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Prior to launching the firm in 2016, Brigit practiced with the San Francisco law firm of Adler & Colvin, handling a range of matters for public charities, private foundations, and charitable donors.

Brigit has expertise in complex private foundation matters, such as set asides, out of corpus distributions, program related investments, and international grant-making, as well as public charity matters such as public support, donor advised funds, supporting organizations, and excess benefit transactions. Brigit is experienced with planned giving and charitable gift planning matters, such as endowments, charitable remainder trusts, and charitable gift annuities.

Prior to attending law school, Brigit was the director of the land acquisitions and education programs for Save-the-Redwoods League in San Francisco. Brigit also served as a volunteer in the U.S. Peace Corps in Cameroon, where she taught English.

Experience

Brigit is an adjunct professor at Golden Gate University, where she co-teaches Tax Aspects of Charitable Giving in the LLM in Taxation program. She is also a frequent speaker on topics such as charitable gift planning, endowments, and many aspects of nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations. Brigit is a Contributing and Update author for Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB)’s treatises on California Estate Planning and California Will Drafting.  

TEACHING, SPEAKING, AND WRITING

  • Brigit was the President of the Northern California Planned Giving Council from 2021-2022 where she served on the Board of Directors for six years. She also served on the Board of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners. She is a member of Advisors in Philanthropy, the San Francisco Estate Planning Council, the Marin County Estate Planning Council, the American Bar Association, and the San Francisco Bar Association. She is admitted to practice law in California.

  • 2025
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    Philanthropic Planning - Options for Leaving a Legacy, Marin County Estate Planning Council

    2022
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    Diligence on Grantees: Form 990 Training, private client event

    Diligence on Grantees: Fiscal Sponsorship, private client event

    Impact Investing Forum, private client event

    2020
    —

    Leveraging Impact Investments for the Post Covid-19 Recovery, Los Angeles Council of Charitable Gift Planners

    Nonprofit Corporations, SF Small Business Networking Group

    2018
    —

    Planning Your Next International Grant: Legal Issues for Foundations and DAFs, NGOsource/TechSoup Global Webinar

    No One Size Fits All: Helping Clients Understand Charitable Giving Options, Marin County Estate Planning Council

    Private Operating Foundations, private client event

    Dividing Philanthropy on Dissolution of Marriage, Chicago Council on Planned Giving and Oregon Community Foundation Professional Advisors Network

    Engaging Budding Philanthropists, Advisors in Philanthropy annual conference and Northern California Planned Giving Council annual conference

    2017
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    Investing for Impact in the 21st Century: Standards of Prudence for Nonprofit Organizations, U.S. Trust Bank of America Webcast (Webcast link)

    Personalities of Philanthropy, Professional Advisors Event at City National Bank, San Francisco

    Employment and Compensation: Staying Safe and Sane, CalCPA Not-for-profit annual conference (reasonable compensation and charitable trust), San Francisco

    Dividing Philanthropy on Dissolution of Marriage, Stanford-Silicon Valley Community Foundation Conference on Charitable Giving, Palo Alto

    Donor Advised Funds, Private Foundations, Supporting Organizations, and the “Charitable LLC”, helping your donor choose the right vehicle, consortium of conservation organizations, donors, and professional advisors, Mill Valley

    Dividing Philanthropy on Dissolution of Marriage, Advisors in Philanthropy annual conference, Costa Mesa

    Dividing Philanthropy on Dissolution of Marriage, Bar Association of San Francisco, San Francisco

    Expenditure Responsibility and Grant Making for Private Foundations, private client event

    2016
    —

    Donor Advised Funds, Supporting Organizations, and Private Foundations – Leveraging Impact; California Academy of Sciences and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, San Francisco

    Donor Advised Funds and Supporting Organizations; National Conference on Philanthropic Planning, Dallas

    The “Other” Grantmakers — Donor Advised Funds and Supporting Organizations; Northwest Planned Giving Roundtable Annual Conference, Portland

    Charitable Remainder Trusts and Charitable Gift Annuities; Conference on Charitable Giving (Silicon Valley Community Foundation and Stanford University’s Office of Planned Giving), Palo Alto

    Donor Advised Funds; Northern California Planned Giving Counsel, San Francisco

    Diving into Endowments: UPMIFA and More; US Trust / Bank of America, Webinar

    2015 & Prior (selected)
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    Charitable Gift Annuities; Northern California Planned Giving Council, San Francisco

    Conflicts of Interest; California Council of Land Trusts, Oakland

    Charitable Remainder Trusts: Are they Hot or Not?; California Academy of Sciences and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, San Francisco

    Choosing the Right Vehicle for your Donor’s Philanthropy; Northwest Planned Giving Roundtable, Portland

    Primer on Donor Advised Funds, Supporting Organizations, and Private Foundations; East Bay Trusts and Estates Lawyers, Oakland

    Primer on Donor Advised Funds, Supporting Organizations, and Private Foundations; Bar Association of San Francisco, Estate Planning Section, San Francisco

    The Genius is In!; Council on Foundations’ Family Philanthropy Conference, San Jose

    The Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act; Northern California Planned Giving Council Annual Conference, San Francisco

    Charitable Gift Annuities; Northern California Planned Giving Council Annual Conference, San Francisco

    The Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act; Northwest Planned Giving Roundtable Annual Conference, Portland

    Starting a Planned Giving Program; California Council of Land Trusts, Webinar

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 FUN FACT

Brigit grew up on a farm in central Virginia and learned to drive a tractor before learning how to drive a car.

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