Patrick Sternal is senior counsel at Compass Legal Group in Washington, D.C. He has extensive experience in tax-exempt and nonprofit organization law. For nearly ten years prior to joining Compass, he worked in the federal government as a Tax Law Specialist in the IRS Office of Tax Exempt and Government Entities, Rulings and Agreements, where he focused on exempt organization determinations and compliance, and as an Attorney Advisor at the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, Exempt Organizations, where he worked on drafting regulations and other guidance and advising the IRS Exempt Organizations operating division. Before entering the IRS, he practiced law in Los Angeles, working primarily with exempt organization and nonprofit clients, including churches and religious organizations, charities, and social clubs. He is a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College (B.A. Liberal Arts), Ave Maria School of Law (J.D.), and Loyola Law School (LL.M. Taxation).