NEW YORK – September 28, 2026 – Kleinberg Kaplan announced that Sharon Weinberg Nokes has joined the Firm as a partner in its Trusts & Estates practice. Her arrival deepens Kleinberg Kaplan’s capabilities in tax-exempt organizations, philanthropy and nonprofit governance, which represent key areas of growing importance to the Firm’s high-net-worth, family office, funds and…
SHARON WEINBERG NOKES
PARTNER
Sharon Weinberg Nokes is a partner in Kleinberg Kaplan’s Trusts & Estates Group, where she advises tax-exempt organizations, philanthropic ventures and impact-oriented structures. With more than 20 years of experience, Sharon counsels private foundations, public charities, donor-advised funds, family offices, endowments and high-net-worth donors on the full range of legal, tax and governance issues affecting the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors.
Practices
About
Sharon’s practice encompasses tax-exempt compliance and governance, including the formation and operation of 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations; the structuring of complex philanthropic vehicles and impact investments, such as program-related investments, and funder collaboratives; advising high-net-worth individuals, families and family offices on charitable giving strategies and legacy planning; designing compliant domestic and international grantmaking and fellowship programs; and representing nonprofits and individuals in IRS examinations and state attorneys general investigations.
Sharon joins Kleinberg Kaplan after serving as Senior Director and Deputy General Counsel for a major public charity. In that role, she provided strategic legal counsel to the board, C-Suite and program leadership, and oversaw tax, governance, impact philanthropy, international operations, and investment matters. She also served as Corporate Secretary and assistant board secretary, advising board committees on fiduciary duties, governance best practices and institutional risk.
Prior to her in-house role, Sharon was a Member of a prominent Washington, D.C. law firm, in its nationally recognized Exempt Organizations practice, and earlier in her career, Sharon was a tax associate at a leading global law firm. She also served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Emily C. Hewitt of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.
Sharon is a recognized thought leader in the nonprofit and philanthropic space. She is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center and a Lecturer at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies in Nonprofit Management. She is also affiliated with the National Center on Philanthropy and the Law at NYU School of Law where she is a Member of the Board of Advisors and the Nonprofit Forum. She is a frequent speaker at leading forums, including the Georgetown Representing & Managing Tax-Exempt Organizations Conference and the Association of Corporate Counsel.
Education
Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, 2004)
Georgetown Law Journal, Managing Editor
Manhattan School of Music (M.M., 1997)
Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester (B.M., 1995)
Bar Admissions
2008, District of Columbia
2005, Maryland
New York (pending)
Accolades
Board of Advisors, National Center on Philanthropy and the Law, NYU School of Law
Member, Nonprofit Forum, National Center on Philanthropy and the Law, NYU School of Law
Board Member and Treasurer, Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts
Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University Law Center
Lecturer, Columbia University School of Professional Studies