Practice Focus

Rob Leahy is an associate in the Nonprofit Group at Hemenway & Barnes. Rob advises private foundations, public charities, colleges and universities, and other tax-exempt organizations on tax regulations and procedures, contracts, research and licensing agreements, and compliance matters. He also advises on formation and governance matters.

Prior to joining Hemenway & Barnes, Rob served as Senior Counsel at Northeastern University, primarily advising on sponsored research matters across the enterprise, including its subsidiaries and regional campuses. He is experienced in the administration, regulatory compliance and financial and risk management of federal contracts, grants and industry funding for research, including provisions related to technology transfer and intellectual property.

Rob began his legal career focused on government contracts in the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He then spent several years as an associate at a large international law firm where he counseled clients on government contract issues, including negotiations, compliance, and investigations.

Representative Experience

• Advising tax-exempt organizations on issues pertaining to partnerships with for-profit entities, including sponsored research agreements, unrelated business income tax, and private business use.
• Helping clients comply with state and federal grant and contract requirements.
• Advising on all aspects of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, its supplements, and Uniform Guidance.
• Counseled a large nonprofit corporation on terms and conditions of a cooperative agreement with the federal government, including licenses in technical data and computer software.
• Counseled clients on matters related to contracting with the federal government, including investigations of clients by the Department of Justice and the Defense Contract Audit Agency.