Ruvym Gilman

About Ruvym Gilman

As the General Counsel and operations lead for The Birthright Israel Foundation, I oversee the legal and compliance aspects of the organization\'s fundraising and programming activities. Birthright Israel Foundation raises over $90 million annually in the United States to support all Birthright Israel programming. Although best known for sending over young adults aged 18-26 to Israel on an epic, 10-day educational journey, Birthright Israel also offers multi-week college internships through its Birthright Israel Excel program as well as internship and volunteer opportunities through its Onward Israel program.With over 16 years of legal experience, I have developed a broad range of competencies in contract drafting and negotiation, intellectual property licensing, employment law, planned giving, and corporate governance. I work closely with all of our individual teams as well as with the President & CEO and the Board of Directors to ensure that the organization\'s goals are achieved in the most effective, efficient, and thoughtful ways possible, while mitigating risks and adhering to best practices. I am passionate about the mission and vision of Birthright Israel, and I enjoy the challenge and variety of work that comes from supporting this dynamic and impactful nonprofit organization.

Experience

1. General Counsel

   Birthright Israel Foundation

   Apr 2022 — Present · New York, NY, US

   Contracts – Negotiate and draft/review all in-house agreements, including consulting agreements, venue and talent agreements for events, production agreements, grants and partnership agreements, NDAs, and intellectual property licenses.•Counsel – Serve as lead US legal and compliance advisor for President & CEO and CFO as well as for Canadian and Israeli related entities.•Internships – Reoriented Israel-based college internship program to accommodate for international participation in remote internships during COVID-19, drafted relevant program and liability paperwork, and communicated the new framework to CEOs & HR departments from Israeli corporate hosts.•Trademarks – Supervise authorized use of company trademark and affiliated family of trademarks, assist with development of new brands and trademarks, and pursue unauthorized use by third parties.•Advancement – Work with and solicit donors to secure estate gifts and assist with the drafting of estate provisions and endowment agreements.•Employment Matters – Manage HR department and HR personnel, including assessing exempt/non-exempt statuses, conducting onboarding for new employees, drafting employment/separation agreements, conducting internal investigations, and advising on disciplinary issues.•Policies – Draft Employee & Operations Handbooks and website/mobile app Terms of Service and Privacy Policies; draft and implement all COVID-19 protocols.•Board Relations & Compliance – Provide legal oversight of Board of Director activities and decision-making, including advising on compliance with NY law, updating board operating policies and bylaws, and drafting resolutions and minutes.•Board Committees – Oversee activities of Executive, Governance, Legacy Giving, and Investment Committees; assist Investment Committee with oversight of investment strategy and endowment fund.•Real Estate – Negotiated corporate lease for new headquarters in New York City and oversaw architectural design and build-out.

Education

• New York University School of Law

  J.D., Intellectual Property Law

  2003 — 2006

• New York University

  BA, English, Politics

  1999 — 2003

Skills

• Intellectual Property
• Licensing
• Contract Negotiation
• Social Media
• Copyright
• Trademark
• Creative Writing
• Copyright Law
• Trademarks
• Email Marketing
• Corporate Law
• Strategy
• Corporate Governance
• Employment Law