DoGood Law Corporation

Incorporations

We can help you incorporate a non-profit organization. We will give you practical guidance on how to avoid common problems so that you start out on a solid legal foundation. We can help you decide whether to incorporate federally under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act or in British Columbia under the Societies Act. We can help you reserve your organization's name, draft your constitution / articles of incorporation, draft your bylaws, file for incorporation, and advise you on the steps you should take immediately following incorporation.

Charitable Status

We can help you apply for charitable status and advise you on your likelihood of a successful application. If you are already a charity, we can advise you on how to maintain charitable status, including on topics like fundraising, due-diligence and accountability measures for making grants, making and receiving gifts, issuing charitable tax receipts, annual filing requirements, and conducting public policy dialogue and development activities. We can also advise you on non-compliance penalties, suspension, and what to do if your charitable status is revoked.

Governance & Bylaw Reviews

We can review your bylaws to determine whether they are legally compliant, and provide advice on steps you can take to improve compliance, mitigate risks, and reduce disputes. We can assist you in developing sound governance structures that align with legal requirements and best practices. This includes advice on director duties and responsibilities, legal compliance, recordkeeping obligations, and creating policies that promote effective leadership and accountability.

Contracts

We can review, advise on, draft, and negotiate legal agreements. We have experience with a wide variety of contracts, including commercial leases, copyright licensing, facility rental contracts, volunteer agreements, terms of service, funding agreements, deeds of gift, and liability waivers. We can ensure that your contracts are legally binding and protect your legal interests.

General Meetings

We can help you hold a valid general meeting in compliance with your bylaws, minimum notice requirements, and the latest court and tribunal decisions. We can draft general meeting notices, special resolutions, and explanatory notes to members on proposed bylaw changes. We can attend your meeting and advise you on quorum, voting thresholds, elections, and meeting procedure. After the meeting, we can make corporate filings on your behalf with the relevant registry.

Corporate Reorganizations

We can help you with corporate reorganizations including mergers, amalgamations, and dissolutions. We can guide you through the processes, ensuring legal compliance and helping you achieve your strategic goals while minimizing risks and potential liabilities during these transitions. If an organization is a charity, we can advise on how to maintain charitable status following a merger or amalgamation.

Corporate Recordkeeping

We can help you ensure that your corporate records, including minutes, financial statements, registers, disclosures, consents, and other required documents, are properly maintained in compliance with the law. We can create, compile, and review your corporate minute book, and act as your records and registered office. We can advise you on how to comply with legal recordkeeping requirements to avoid penalties and ensure transparency in governance.

Disputes

We can help you resolve a wide range of disputes commonly faced by non-profits, including director conflicts of interest and dereliction of duty, director removal and resignation, member disputes, member discipline and expulsion, access to records requests, and responding to requisitioned general meetings. We can also represent you in a small claims matter, including drafting and sending demand letters, dealing with opposing counsel, assisting you through mediation, and negotiating a reasonable settlement.

Employment

We can advise you on employee rights and employer obligations, including with respect to minimum employment standards, discrimination, human rights, and employee accommodations. We can also draft employment agreements and contractor agreements that are tailored to your specific needs as an organization.

Housing & Residential Tenancy

We can help you draft and negotiate tenancy agreements and advise you on tenant rights and landlord obligations. We have experience advising both tenants and landlords regarding standard residential tenancies and tenancies within strata corporations. We also have experience advising non-profit housing providers on the unique legal frameworks applicable to emergency shelters, transitional housing, and supportive housing.

Privacy

We can advise you on maintaining compliance with privacy laws and regulations, including the Personal Information Protection Act (British Columbia). We can draft your privacy policy to describe how you collect, use, store, and disclose personal information. We can help you understand the latest legal authorities regarding your competing obligations to provide members access to records and to protect members' and directors' personal information.

Extraprovincial Registration & Continuance

If you are incorporated in another jurisdiction and want to operate in British Columbia, we can help you extraprovincially register in British Columbia, including acting as your attorney for the purposes of the Societies Act (British Columbia). We can also help your organization continue into another jurisdiction, whether for strategic purposes, changing needs or goals, to enable a merger with another organization, or to simply be governed by different legislation.