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September 25, 2026
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Los Angeles (September 25, 2026) - Michael Best is pleased to announce that David Ferguson has joined the firm’s Los Angeles office as senior counsel in the Transactional practice group. Ferguson focuses his practice on representing nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations and their founders and donors.
His work emphasizes the deployment of philanthropic capital in social enterprise, rural and urban economic development, scientific research, and domestic and cross-border support of Jewish organizations and institutions. He has represented organizations across the United States in corporate governance, federal tax compliance, fiscal sponsorship arrangements, and general operational matters. Ferguson also advises clients on the formation, operation, division, merger, and dissolution of private family foundations and related federal tax considerations and represents tax-exempt clients in audits before the Internal Revenue Service.
“David’s broad nonprofit, tax-exempt, and transactional experience will be a strong addition to our team,” saidJason Thompson, Chair of Michael Best’s Transactional practice group. “He understands the legal and operational considerations facing nonprofit organizations, foundations, businesses, and entrepreneurs, and his practical approach and ability to guide clients through complex transactions and tax matters will further strengthen the counsel we provide.”
Prior to joining Michael Best, Ferguson was an associate focused on tax-exempt organizations, advising on federal tax and state corporate governance matters. Earlier in his career, he co-founded a Kansas-based law firm where he represented entrepreneurs and for-profit and nonprofit startups in mergers and acquisitions, commercial agreements, governance matters, and general corporate work and where he served as outside general counsel to the firm’s nonprofit clients.
“We are excited to welcome David to our Los Angeles office,” said Carrie Byrnes, Co-Managing Partner of Michael Best’s Los Angeles office. “His combination of transactional, tax, corporate, and nonprofit experience expands the capabilities we offer clients in California and across the country.”
Ferguson earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Missouri School of Law and his LL.M. in Taxation from Northwestern University School of Law. He also holds a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management from Columbia University, a Master of Arts in History from Wichita State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Kansas State University.
About Michael Best & Friedrich LLP
Michael Best is a leading law firm, providing a full range of legal services to clients around the world. The firm has more than 450 legal professionals, including nearly 400 attorneys, serving clients in 19 offices across the U.S. in California; Colorado; Illinois; New York; North Carolina; Texas; Utah; Washington, D.C.; and Wisconsin. Michael Best’s areas of practice include: intellectual property; labor and employment relations (including employee benefits); litigation; corporate; government relations, political law, and public policy; privacy and cybersecurity; real estate; regulatory; tax; and wealth planning. The firm serves a variety of industries, such as advanced manufacturing, agribusiness, banking, and financial services, digital technology, energy, food and beverage, healthcare, higher education, and life sciences. For more information, visit michaelbest.com.
