Ryan Oberly

Ryan Oberly focuses his practice on nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations. Ryan represents a diverse group of tax-exempt organizations, and he advises clients on both initial formation issues and complex corporate and tax planning to protect tax-exempt status, facilitate organizational growth, and manage civil liability risks. He has successfully represented clients in IRS audits and state attorney general investigations. His practice covers nonprofit corporate governance, unrelated business income, private benefit transactions, political campaigns and lobbying, and other excise tax and federal reporting issues.

Ryan regularly advises clients through corporate mergers, joint ventures with exempt and for-profit entities, and diverse multi-state and international operations. He also helps clients with foreign-grant-making, multistate charitable solicitation and trust reporting, and commercial co-venture and cause-related marketing compliance in all fifty states. Ryan is well versed in intellectual property issues facing nonprofits and regularly works with clients to register, protect, transfer, and enforce trademark and copyright interests.

Ryan is an Adjunct Lecturer at DePaul University’s College of Law where he teaches a graduate level course on the law of nonprofit organizations. Outside of work, Ryan can be found studying history, watching sports, or doing anything active in Chicago’s Lincoln Park community where he lives with his wife and three children. They are longtime members of The Moody Church.