From time to time, your organization may have the opportunity to buy products or services from a director, officer, or other interested person. Because such arrangements are conflicted transactions, special diligence and board pre-approval are necessary. This example document shows the best practices for board approval of a conflicted transaction. Work with an attorney to customize this resource to reflect your organization's needs and applicable law. Also see the companion article to this resource, Conflicts of Interest: Avoiding Common Mistakes.

A director who is also a technology executive offers to sell technology from his company to a nonprofit school at cost. A director who runs an interior design firm offers to consult for a nonprofit women’s center at a steep discount. The organizations will be getting the best deal on the market. Must the board review and approve these transactions before the organization can take advantage of the great opportunities?

The legal profession is suffering a deep existential crisis. To many who live and practice the law, this is a self-evident truth. To those who do not, but who nonetheless rely on legal professionals, the idea of “good counsel” has been reduced to a mere transaction between client and attorney, with the former often viewing the latter as little more than an expensive technocrat who exists to solve their problems.

This essay is adapted from remarks given by Napa Legal's President and General Counsel, John C. Peiffer II, at the launch of the Good Counselor Project in Washington, D.C.