Every nonprofit corporation is required to have bylaws - and those bylaws set the rules for how the organization is governed at a high level. In this video, Karen Wolfe explains why bylaws are the foundation of a board’s governance work and why board members should actually know what their bylaws say.

She walks through the kinds of questions bylaws are meant to answer - how meetings are called, how votes are taken, how notice is given, and how the board ensures it is following its own rules. Karen also explains why bylaws should be treated as a living document and reviewed regularly, with best practice being a board-level review every two to three years to ensure legal compliance and alignment with how the board actually operates.

Attorney-client privilege is often misunderstood - and small mistakes can easily waive it. In this video, Joe Pecora explains what attorney-client privilege actually protects, when it applies, and when it does not.

Joe Pecora, a Partner at Commons & Commons LLP, walks through common pitfalls, including why simply copying an attorney on an email or labeling a communication “confidential” does not make it privileged, how privilege can be lost by including the wrong people on emails or calls, and why privilege does not extend to all employees. He also discusses the limits of privilege for personal matters, the obligation of school counsel to act in the organization’s best interests, and when board members or heads of school should consider seeking independent legal advice.

Policy documents are where a school’s governance actually takes shape. While bylaws establish the high-level structure of boards and committees, the real detail about how a school operates lives in its policies.

In this video, Karen Wolfe, partner at s & Commons LLP, explains how four core documents - the bylaws, the board handbook, the parent and student handbook, and the employee handbook - translate a school’s mission, vision, and nonprofit purpose into day-to-day practice, and why those policies must reflect both what is happening at the school and the values on which it was founded.

Insurance plays a critical role in protecting schools, their leadership, and their employees from significant legal and financial risk. In this video, Joe Pecora explains why insurance is essential for schools - not only to manage liability exposure, but also to meet indemnification obligations owed to directors, officers, and employees under law, bylaws, and employment contracts.

Joe Pecora, a Partner at Commons & Commons LLP, walks through the core types of insurance coverage schools should understand, including general liability, workers’ compensation, property, and auto insurance, as well as school-specific coverages such as directors and officers insurance, employment practices liability, sexual misconduct and molestation coverage, and cyber insurance. He also explains why gaps in coverage, policy limits, or lapses in insurance can create serious exposure - and why schools should regularly review their coverage with a knowledgeable insurance broker to ensure they are properly protected.