Kleinberg Kaplan Welcomes Sharon Weinberg Nokes as Partner in the Trusts & Estates Practice

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 institutional client base.

Sharon joins Kleinberg Kaplan after more than eleven years at a major public charity and global philanthropic organization, where she most recently served as Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. As a member of the organization’s institutional leadership team, she provided legal and strategic counsel to the board, C-Suite and senior leaders across corporate governance, tax compliance, philanthropy and grantmaking, international operations, risk management, and complex transactions, while leading a multidisciplinary legal team.

At Kleinberg Kaplan, Sharon will advise private foundations, public charities, family offices, donor-advised funds, endowments, high-net-worth donors and other mission-driven clients on the full range of tax-exempt, governance and philanthropic matters. Her experience spans the formation and operation of 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations; complex philanthropic vehicles including philanthropy LLCs, supporting organizations, and fiscal sponsorships; impact investments and funder collaboratives; charitable giving strategies and legacy planning; domestic and international grantmaking programs; and IRS examinations and state attorneys general investigations.

“At Kleinberg Kaplan, our growth is guided by a simple principle: we invest where our clients need us most,” said Andrew Chonoles, Managing Partner of Kleinberg Kaplan. “As our high-net-worth, family office, fund and institutional clients increasingly navigate the complexities of philanthropy, charitable structures, and tax-exempt governance, it became clear that adding a partner of Sharon’s caliber and experience was essential. She fills a critical need for clients who want sophisticated, practical counsel at the intersection of wealth planning and philanthropic impact, and she does so with the breadth of experience and real-world judgment that defines the Kleinberg Kaplan approach.”

“Sharon’s combination of deep tax-exempt knowledge and senior in-house experience as Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of a major global philanthropic organization is truly distinctive,” said Jeffrey Kolodny, Leader of Kleinberg Kaplan’s Trusts & Estates Department. “She brings the ability to advise clients on the full spectrum of nonprofit and philanthropic matters with the credibility and practical insight of someone who has lived these issues from the inside. ”

Before moving in-house, Sharon was a Member of a prominent Washington, D.C., law firm in its nationally-recognized Exempt Organizations practice, and earlier in her career 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. Before attending law school, Sharon was a professional musician in the U.S. Air Force. She is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, where she earned her J.D. magna cum laude and was named to the Order of the Coif, and holds degrees from the Manhattan School of Music and the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. Sharon is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Her admission to the New York bar is pending.

A recognized thought leader in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, Sharon teaches at Georgetown University Law Center and Columbia University, is affiliated with NYU School of Law’s National Center on Philanthropy and the Law, and is a frequent speaker at leading industry forums.

Nokes’s arrival continues a period of strategic growth for Kleinberg Kaplan. Together with Norris Nissim, Ryan Davis and Tiffanye Threadcraft, her addition reflects Kleinberg Kaplan’s commitment to purposeful senior-level growth driven by client needs.

About Kleinberg Kaplan

Described as “Wall Street’s best-kept secret” (The Legal 500: United States), Kleinberg Kaplan is a premier, award-winning boutique law firm that provides practical, business-minded legal counsel to investors, entrepreneurs and other industry leaders. With a national and international reputation for representation of private funds, the firm serves an impressive roster of clients, including investment funds and companies at all stages of their life cycles, as well as a wide variety of real estate investors, family offices and high-net-worth individuals. Kleinberg Kaplan provides a full-service platform that combines extensive Big Law experience with the personalized attention of a boutique firm, true teamwork and an entrepreneurial culture attuned to investments, building businesses and transforming ideas into successful companies. To learn more please visit www.kkwc.com.