Karen (Leaffer) Schauble is a recognized leader in the area of nonprofit law, having practiced in some of Denver’s largest, most respected law firms for more than 20 years before forming a firm solely focused on nonprofits. She is also a community leader, a mentor and an entrepreneur. It is her extensive experience, combined with her lifelong dedication to serving nonprofits, which makes her a sought-after resource for nonprofit organizations and their advisors.
Karen serves as both general and special counsel to nonprofits, advising them on corporate, tax and transactional matters, such as:
- Regulation of private foundations, supporting organizations and donor-advised funds
- Corporate governance, best practices and implications of Sarbanes-Oxley for nonprofits
- Corporate philanthropy and social enterprise
- Scholarships, disaster relief grants and international grants
- Intermediate sanctions and self-dealing
- Executive compensation audits and reporting
- Tax-exempt financing and low-income housing tax credits
- Unrelated business income tax
- Corporate sponsorships and other fundraising matters
- Public policy development, advocacy, lobbying and political campaign activity
- Fiscal sponsorship programs and grants
- Regulation of trade associations
- Management of endowment funds and other restricted gifts under UPMIFA
- Strategic alliances, joint ventures, taxable subsidiaries and nonprofit/for-profit combinations
Karen currently serves as managing editor and contributing author of A Guide for Colorado Nonprofit Organizations (second edition 2018), a role she has served since the Guide’s inception in 2007. She previously served as chair of the Nonprofit Entities Subsection of the Colorado Bar Association and past chair of the Tax Section.
Karen holds the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® ranking, was recognized as a 2018 Lawyer of the Year in nonprofit/charities law by Best Lawyers in America®, and was named to the Super Lawyers® Top 50 Women list. On a local level, she received the Denver Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business award in the law category and was often named Barrister’s Best Nonprofit Attorney by Law Week Colorado. She is a well-known speaker and has published numerous articles on legal issues of importance to nonprofit organizations and foundations.
In addition to her community, civic and political involvement, Karen is invested in family. As a recent empty nester -- with a son in the Army and twins in college – Karen is actively working her way through her bucket list. She is a frequent traveler both abroad and in the United States, and regularly returns to her roots in Eastern Washington/Northern Idaho. She enjoys spending quiet time at home working in her garden, or with Toby, her rescued “Chiweenie.”
I have the good fortune of working with nonprofits and foundations as the sole focus of my law practice. Nonprofits do amazing things in our community, picking up where private enterprise and government leave off. I hope through honoring and enabling their efforts, I can make a difference in our community as well."
Karen (Leaffer) Schauble, Schauble Law Group
Professional Leadership
- Managing editor and contributing author, A Guide for Colorado Nonprofit Organizations (second edition 2018), published by CLE in Colorado.
- Legal editor, Principles & Practices for Nonprofit Excellence in Colorado, published by the Colorado Nonprofit Association
- National Scholarship Providers Association, Advisor
- Continuing Legal Education in Colorado, Past Board Member and Vice President
- Colorado Bar Association Business Law Section/Nonprofit Entities Subsection, Past Chair
- Colorado Bar Association Tax Section, Past Chair
- Colorado Secretary of State Business Entity Advisory Committee, Nonprofit Sector, Past Member
- Exponent Philanthropy Board of Legal Advisors, Past Member
- Foundation Tax Group, Past Co-Chair
Community Service
- Rose Community Foundation Committee on Aging, Past Advisory Committee Member
- Delores Project, Women’s Homeless Shelter Volunteer
- Electing Women Political Action Committee, Sponsor
- Aspen Academy, Past Trustee, Compensation Committee Member, and Governance Committee Member
- Space Science Institute, Past Board Member, Corporate Secretary, Governance Committee Chair, and Audit Committee Member
- University of Colorado Women’s Health Research Center, Past Advisory Board Member
- Mile High United Way, Past Donor Relations Council Member
- Lutheran Medical Center Foundation, Past Board Member
- Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, Past Finance Committee Member
Education
- University of Denver LL.M. (1991)
- University of Idaho J.D., summa cum laude (1988)
- Gonzaga University B.A., summa cum laude (1985)
Bar Admissions
Distinctions
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® ranking
- American Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Denver Business Journal’s Winner (2014) Outstanding Women in Business Award in Law
- Best Lawyers in America® Non-Profit/Charities and Tax Law (2007-2024)
- Super Lawyers® Non-Profit (2006-2024)
- Super Lawyers® Top 50 Women
- Law Week Colorado Barrister’s Best Nonprofit Attorney (2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018)
