Mary Elizabeth Cisneros

Mary Elizabeth Cisneros represents charitable organizations in trust and estate matters, advocating for nonprofits as beneficiaries of matured bequests and helping them honor donor intent while maximizing revenue. Based in Washington, D.C., Mary Elizabeth is a member of Holland & Knight's Private Wealth Services Group and part of a national team of attorneys, fiduciary accountants and paralegals devoted to this work.

Mary Elizabeth's perspective on donor intent and revenue maximization comes from firsthand experience implementing and managing a trust and estate administration process at one of the world's largest charities. That background helps her understand the priorities and challenges of the nonprofit beneficiaries she represents.

Before joining the Firm, Mary Elizabeth served as in-house counsel at high-profile organizations, counseling board members and senior management across nonprofit operations, including human resources, fundraising, governance, tax-exempt compliance and corporate transactions. She also represented her organization in congressional investigations and in inquiries from federal and state agencies and state attorneys general.

Mary Elizabeth has additionally advised senior leadership of global nonprofits and Fortune 500 companies on complex labor and employment investigations and lawsuits, and she has litigated employment disputes in federal and state courts and arbitration proceedings.

A frequent speaker and panelist on trust and estate and compliance issues affecting nonprofits, Mary Elizabeth combines in-house insight with fiduciary advocacy to help charitable organizations realize the full value of the gifts entrusted to them.