Professional Experience:

Karl E. Emerson serves as of counsel in the Business Department at Montgomery McCracken.  Mr. Emerson provides legal counsel and advice to nonprofit organizations, including advising charitable organizations and their fundraisers on compliance with state charitable solicitation statutes, conducting charitable organization compliance assessments, and conducting internal investigations for charitable and other tax-exempt organizations.

Prior to joining Montgomery McCracken, Mr. Emerson served as Director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Charitable Organizations where he was responsible for administering and enforcing Pennsylvania's charitable solicitation law.  Under his direction, the number of registered organizations increased from approximately 3,700 to over 9,800. He streamlined and eliminated cumbersome registration procedures and policies, implemented the first electronic registration system in the country, and set up a Special Investigation and Audit Unit that  pursues fraud and other abuses in the nonprofit sector.  He worked closely with state and federal law enforcement agencies as well as foreign law enforcement agencies on several terrorist financing cases. 

Previously, Mr. Emerson held a variety of executive level positions in the Pennsylvania Office of Inspector General where he supervised and directed complex fraud, waste and abuse investigations. These investigations resulted in major monetary recoveries and savings for the Commonwealth, hundreds of employee disciplinary actions, several grand jury investigations, and numerous criminal prosecutions and civil and administrative actions.  He  worked closely with state and federal law enforcement agencies during his ten years at the Office of Inspector General.

From 1983 to 1985, Mr. Emerson was a prosecuting attorney with the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs where he initiated and managed investigations of professional misconduct and represented the Commonwealth at formal disciplinary hearings.

Special Recognition:

Mr. Emerson was named by The Nonprofit Times as one of the 50 most influential members of the nonprofit community in 2001, 2003, and 2006.  He is one of only three recipients of the Association of Fundraising Professionals' Greater Philadelphia Chapter's Government Philanthropic Partner Award.

Presentations/Publications:

As director of the Bureau of Charitable Organizations, Mr. Emerson made over 120 educational presentations at major nonprofit, fundraising, legal, and accounting conferences nationwide.  In addition, he made presentations in Beijing, China and helped train over 80 law enforcement officials from 12 countries at U.S. Justice Department training sessions in Colombo, Sri Lanka and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mr. Emerson has published more than 40 articles in various state and national publications and is the author of "State Charitable Solicitation Statutes", a chapter in Civic Research Institute's Complete Guide To Nonprofit Organizations.

Professional/ Community Activities:

Mr. Emerson has served as the president and vice-president of the National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO) and served on the NASCO Board for four years. He was one of six individuals selected to represent the nonprofit sector on the Internal Revenue Service's first Tax-Exempt Advisory Committee.  Mr. Emerson is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and former co-chair of its Charitable Organization Committee.

Admitted to Practice:

Mr. Emerson is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania. 

Education:

Mr. Emerson received a J. D. degree from Temple University Law School in 1981.  He graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1978 where he earned dual degrees, each magna cum laude, in Economics and Business Administration.