Prominent Exempt Organizations and Tax Attorney Cynthia Rowland Joins Farella Braun + Martel as Partner

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Jul 10, 2013) - Farella Braun + Martel LLP welcomes San Francisco exempt organizations and tax attorney Cynthia R. Rowland to its partnership effective July 1.

Rowland joins Farella's Exempt Organizations and Family Wealth Groups with 25 years of experience in tax and corporate law. She has a special focus on charitable giving arrangements and complex structures for nonprofit organizations.

"We are delighted to welcome Cynthia to Farella," said firm chairman Steve Lowenthal. "The firm and our clients will greatly benefit from Cynthia's wealth of experience and dedication to client service. She is a great addition to our exceptional team of family wealth, exempt organizations and tax attorneys."

Adds Lara Gilman, chair of Farella's Family Wealth Group, "Cynthia's depth of experience in advising high-net-worth individuals, families and nonprofits complements and deepens the services we provide to our clients. She is a tremendous addition to our practice and further cements our reputation as one of the top Family Wealth practices in the Bay Area."

Rowland enjoys helping high-net-worth individuals and families achieve personal and family business, charitable, philanthropic and community objectives. She has successfully obtained federal and state tax exemption status for a broad range of charitable organizations, including public charities, private foundations, museums, educational institutions, trade associations and churches. She assists charitable organizations in all aspects of their missions, including entity formation, business transactions, regulatory compliance, mergers and dissolutions. Rowland counsels trustees and directors of charitable organizations on fiduciary and tax issues, including those raised by actual and potential conflicts of interest, regulatory investigations and audits, as well as issues raised by settlement of complex litigation involving the fiduciaries and/or the organization.

Rowland serves on the board of directors for Tax-Aid, which provides income tax services at no cost to thousands of low-income individuals in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the Nonprofit/Charities Law and Tax Law categories. She joins Farella from Coblentz Patch Duffy and Bass LLP in San Francisco.

Rowland earned her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (1988).

Farella Braun + Martel represents clients throughout the United States and abroad in sophisticated business transactions and high-stakes commercial, civil and criminal litigation. Farella lawyers are known for their imaginative legal solutions, dynamism and intellectual creativity. With an unwavering service ethic and interdisciplinary team approach, the firm is committed to advancing clients' objectives in the most effective, coordinated and efficient manner. Founded in 1962, Farella is headquartered in San Francisco and maintains an office in the Napa Valley focused on the wine industry. www.fbm.com