Isabel C. Safie

Partner

Isabel Safie is a senior associate in the Business Services practice group of Best Best & Krieger LLP. She has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in Human Biology from Stanford University and a law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. Ms. Safie’s practice primarily focuses on issues relating to compliance with federal and state nonprofit and tax-exemption laws, pensions and benefits, and federal and state tax matters.

Ms. Safie’s expertise in the nonprofit area includes providing advice and assistance regarding the formation and exemption of nonprofits, governance issues, conflict of interest matters and charitable giving. She also provides general corporate counsel to nonprofit entities whether it be related to local, state or federal tax issues, or general corporate work including drafting or reviewing governance documents, employment agreements and conflict of interest policies. In the course of her representation of nonprofit clients, Ms. Safie has provided advice regarding both state and federal laws regulating the provision of pension and other employee benefits, and conducted detailed assessments of the tax consequences of providing benefits to major donors on behalf of local, regional and statewide nonprofits. She currently serves as co-general counsel to the Partnership of Los Angeles Schools and has provided legal counsel to a number of prominent nonprofits in both San Bernardino and Riverside County including Fox Theater Foundation, Eisenhower Medical Center Foundation, Community Settlement Association, Palo Verde Valley Community Improvement Fund, Young Men’s Christian Association of Riverside City and County, and Upland Christian Schools, Inc. In addition, Ms. Safie’s work with Central County United Way and negotiations with federal and state officials was instrumental in ensuring that over $1 million in worldwide donations to the Central County United Way was distributed in support of the families of firefighters who perished in the Esperanza fire of 2006.

Ms. Safie has served on the board of directors of Quest Scholars Program, which works to ensure that the nation’s most talented under-served students have access to the top universities in the nation, for the past nine years. She is a member of the State Bar of California, the Riverside County Bar Association, the San Bernardino County Bar Association and the American Bar Association. She is fluent in Spanish.

Education

• University of California, Los Angeles, J.D.
• Stanford University, B.A.

Bar Admissions

• California (2005)

Awards

• Super Lawyers “Southern California Rising Star,” Employee Benefits (2015-2016)