Celesq® Presenters

Sally Wagenmaker provides legal counsel in corporate, tax, employment, and real estate matters for nonprofit, tax-exempt clients, including public charities, private foundations, and trade associations operating on local, national, and international levels. Her clients include churches and other religious organizations, social service providers, and schools. Through her legal work, she strives to fulfill the firm's values of trustworthiness, cost-efficiency, creative collaboration, mutual respect, and community engagement. 

Sally's corporate and tax work includes development of new tax-exempt entities, resolving IRS disputes, counseling clients on the responsibilities of board members, providing guidance for effective nonprofit governance within the current legal climate, and other operational legal issues. In addition, she represents clients in property tax exemption matters for charitable, religious, and educational purposes, shared occupancy arrangements, and property transfers. Sally also regularly advises and counsels the firm's nonprofit clients on employment matters including contracts, termination, employment policies, tax, unemployment insurance, discrimination issues, and compliance with other employment laws, particularly as they relate to nonprofit issues such as volunteers and clergy. 

Prior to practicing law with Wagenmaker & Oberly, Sally was a partner with Mosher & Wagenmaker and worked previously for other law firms. In addition, she worked as a solo practitioner, providing legal assistance to indigent and low-income clients primarily in Chicago's west side neighborhood of North Lawndale. Upon finishing law school, she clerked for United States District Judge William C. O Kelley of the Northern District of Georgia. Sally is a graduate of Emory University School of Law and the University of Mississippi. Sally is thankful for her husband Dan and two young adult children, who remind her continually that we are each valuable beyond measure.