Lauren Caplan

About

Mill River Advisory, LLC is a law firm working with mission-driven organizations and the funders who support them, helping both sides build the structure, capacity, and resources to tackle the toughest challenges. Our services are designed around a simple idea: provide the practical, targeted legal counsel we wished we'd had when we were in-house -counsel that relieves the legal burdens that pull focus away from the mission. By working with both operating organizations and their funders, we help connect the dots to move more capital toward the challenges that matter most.​ We bring a perspective shaped by over twenty years of deep in-house experience, emphasizing practical, solutions-oriented strategies that work on the ground. We work with a diverse client base including non-profit organizations, social enterprises, family offices, foundations, corporate philanthropy, and hybrid entities. Whether supporting specific projects or serving as your outsourced general counsel, find more on the ways we can help support your work at www.millriveradvisory.com.

Practice Areas

Services

• Sustainable Funding

  Our sustainable funding services help mission-driven organizations attract and retain the full range of funding your mission deserves.​​ Whether that means strengthening existing governance practices; structuring new revenue-generating activities; navigating the legal frameworks for innovative partnerships; or designing a capital structure that reduces dependence on any single funding source, we can help.
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• Impact Capital

  The need for thoughtful capital has never been greater — and neither has the scrutiny on the funders providing it. Our Impact Capital Services provide strategic legal counsel that helps funders protect and maximize the impact of every dollar. Whether that means identifying and mitigating unanticipated risks or assessing whether your current structure is best positioned for lasting change, we can help move the needle on the most complex challenges.
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• General Counsel

  Legal needs don't follow a fixed schedule and the right level of support looks different for every organization. We serve as outside general counsel for organizations including nonprofits, social enterprises, family offices, foundations, and corporate philanthropy departments. We provide flexible, ongoing legal support that can be dialed up during periods of growth or transition, and scaled back when things are steady.
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Work

• 
  Associate General Counsel

  Yale University

  Jun 2018 - Feb 2023
• General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer

  Greenworks Lending

  Sep 2015 - Jan 2017
• 
  Assistant General Counsel & ESG Policy Officer

  Commonfund

  Oct 2007 - Sep 2015

Education

• Georgetown University Law Center
  JD • 2005
• Harvard College
  AB • 2000