No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Navigating Potential Legal Pitfalls of Charitable Donations

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Navigating Potential Legal Pitfalls of Charitable Donations

What could possibly go wrong when making charitable donations? The answer is: quite a bit if a government official is in the mix. Hosts Charlie Ricciardelli [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/ricciardelli-charles-m] and https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/rosen-tylerTyler Rosen [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/rosen-tyler] walk through four key legal pitfalls that can transform a well-intentioned donation into a serious problem for a company or individual. They cover anti-corruption and linkage risks, including how charitable donations have served as the "quid" in federal quid pro quo corruption prosecutions; indirect gift concerns when an official has a compensated role at the recipient charity; black letter prohibitions in jurisdictions like New York and California; and disclosure obligations under the Lobbying Disclosure Act and California's behested payment rules, among other topics. CONNECT AND LEARN MORE ☑️ Charlie Ricciardelli [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/ricciardelli-charles-m] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliericciardelli/] ☑️ Tyler Rosen [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/rosen-tyler] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-rosen-a95226158/] ☑️ Skadden [https://www.skadden.com/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/skadden-arps-slate-meagher-flom-llp-affiliates/?s=footer] | X [https://x.com/skaddenarps?s=footer] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/skadden/?s=footer] ☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lobby-bar/id1847396162] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0lQMdUUJK3Jotq9dgj2nTX] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEwX-3o8Dn36OxZ38mi7DwJMUMGvDM78i] | Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/58c2a5fc-3f24-4811-9e82-7151c3178e8b/the-lobby-bar] “The Lobby Bar” is presented by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates [https://www.skadden.com/]. This podcast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended and should not be construed as legal advice. This podcast is considered advertising under applicable state laws.

Government Conflict of Interest Rules: The Underdiscussed Threat

If you hold a government position and you also work for a private company, you may be a “dual-hatted” employee that is exposed to federal, state and local government conflict-of-interest rules. In this episode of “The Lobby Bar,” hosts Charlie Ricciardelli [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/ricciardelli-charles-m] and Tyler Rosen [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/rosen-tyler] unpack a variety of topics surrounding these rules, including recusal requirements, lobbying prohibitions and the states with the most restrictive and complex rules. They also provide an outlook on why companies should be preclearing employees prior to hiring them, to ensure no conflict of interest issues arise during their employment. CONNECT AND LEARN MORE ☑️ Charlie Ricciardelli [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/ricciardelli-charles-m] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliericciardelli/] ☑️ Tyler Rosen [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/rosen-tyler] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-rosen-a95226158/] ☑️ Skadden [https://www.skadden.com/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/skadden-arps-slate-meagher-flom-llp-affiliates/?s=footer] | X [https://x.com/skaddenarps?s=footer] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/skadden/?s=footer] ☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lobby-bar/id1847396162] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0lQMdUUJK3Jotq9dgj2nTX] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEwX-3o8Dn36OxZ38mi7DwJMUMGvDM78i] | Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/58c2a5fc-3f24-4811-9e82-7151c3178e8b/the-lobby-bar] “The Lobby Bar” is presented by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates [https://www.skadden.com/]. This podcast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended and should not be construed as legal advice. This podcast is considered advertising under applicable state laws.

Love in the Political Air: Analyzing Political Law Concerns Involving Romantic Relationships

Valentine’s Day 2026 may now be a sweet memory, but love is always in the air when it comes to political law issues involving romantic relationships. Hosts Charlie Ricciardelli [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/ricciardelli-charles-m] and Tyler Rosen [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/rosen-tyler] outline the ethics considerations involving personal relationships, including for spouses, significant others and friends. Tune in as they break down how to ensure these relationships do not trigger ethics violations, gift laws and pay-to-play violations, as well as review considerations for employee spouses who are considering running for elected office. CONNECT AND LEARN MORE ☑️ Charlie Ricciardelli [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/ricciardelli-charles-m] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliericciardelli/] ☑️ Tyler Rosen [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/rosen-tyler] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-rosen-a95226158/] ☑️ Skadden [https://www.skadden.com/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/skadden-arps-slate-meagher-flom-llp-affiliates/?s=footer] | X [https://x.com/skaddenarps?s=footer] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/skadden/?s=footer] ☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lobby-bar/id1847396162] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0lQMdUUJK3Jotq9dgj2nTX] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEwX-3o8Dn36OxZ38mi7DwJMUMGvDM78i] | Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/58c2a5fc-3f24-4811-9e82-7151c3178e8b/the-lobby-bar] “The Lobby Bar” is presented by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates [https://www.skadden.com/]. This podcast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended and should not be construed as legal advice. This podcast is considered advertising under applicable state laws.

PAC Compliance Reviews: Examining the Top 10 Issues

As a follow-up to their last “Lobby Bar” episode of 2025 [https://www.skadden.com/insights/podcasts/2025/12/compliance-close-up-lobby-reporting-audits], which focused on lobbying compliance audits, hosts Charlie Ricciardelli [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/ricciardelli-charles-m] and Tyler Rosen [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/rosen-tyler] return in 2026 with a deep dive into political action committee (PAC) compliance audits. Tune in as the hosts present their top 10 findings that they’ve encountered in such audits, as well as the five “W’s” of what make these audits so important for PACs. CONNECT AND LEARN MORE ☑️ Charlie Ricciardelli [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/ricciardelli-charles-m] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliericciardelli/] ☑️ Tyler Rosen [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/rosen-tyler] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-rosen-a95226158/] ☑️ Skadden [https://www.skadden.com/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/skadden-arps-slate-meagher-flom-llp-affiliates/?s=footer] | X [https://x.com/skaddenarps?s=footer] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/skadden/?s=footer] ☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-lobby-bar/id1847871128] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0lQMdUUJK3Jotq9dgj2nTX?si=79f9c3d7f39847a5] | Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/58c2a5fc-3f24-4811-9e82-7151c3178e8b/the-lobby-bar] “The Lobby Bar” is presented by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates [https://www.skadden.com/]. This podcast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended and should not be construed as legal advice. This podcast is considered advertising under applicable state laws.

Compliance Close-Up: Lobby Reporting Audits

As 2025 comes to a close, “The Lobby Bar” hosts Charlie Ricciardelli [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/ricciardelli-charles-m] and Tyler Rosen [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/rosen-tyler] want to help government affairs teams and compliance professionals out with regard to a critical year-end to-do item: federal lobbying reports. Tune in as they break down the "five Ws" of the lobbying compliance audits and outline their “Top 10” most common findings of their experiences guiding clients through the process. CONNECT AND LEARN MORE ☑️ Charlie Ricciardelli [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/ricciardelli-charles-m] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliericciardelli/] ☑️ Tyler Rosen [https://www.skadden.com/professionals/r/rosen-tyler] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-rosen-a95226158/] ☑️ Skadden [https://www.skadden.com/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/skadden-arps-slate-meagher-flom-llp-affiliates/?s=footer] | X [https://x.com/skaddenarps?s=footer] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/skadden/?s=footer] ☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-lobby-bar/id1847871128] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0lQMdUUJK3Jotq9dgj2nTX?si=79f9c3d7f39847a5] | Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/58c2a5fc-3f24-4811-9e82-7151c3178e8b/the-lobby-bar] “The Lobby Bar” is presented by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates [https://www.skadden.com/]. This podcast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended and should not be construed as legal advice. This podcast is considered advertising under applicable state laws.