The 2011-2012 edition treatise Religious Organizations and the Law is now available. This comprehensive work originated by William W. Bassett, Emeritus Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco, has been updated annually since 1997 and in 2012 has expanded to 4000 pages in four volumes. The work is co-authored by Professors W. Cole Durham, Jr., and Robert T. Smith, and employs the research assistance of students and staff at the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University, as well as an outstanding interdenominational advisory board of legal professionals.
The work contains a comprehensive analysis of the laws, decisions, statutes, ordinances, and regulations affecting the operation of religious entities and practical advice on entering and terminating transactions with churches. Sections of the work discuss the following:
- Introduction to Religious Organizations and the Law
- The First Freedom: Religious Freedom Guaranteed under the Constitution and Church Autonomy Doctrines
- Organizational Choices of Churches and Religious Organizations
- Formation of Religious Organizations: Corporations, Associations, and Trusts
- Fiduciary and Management Duties of Directors, Officers, and Trustees
- Risk Management
- Organizational Transformations: Mergers, Divisions, and Dissolutions
- Bankruptcy
- Employment Standards and Policies
- The Churches in Court: Fundamentals of Litigation
- Modern Liability Claims Facing Churches
- Religious Influence in Public and Private Education
- Church Sponsorship of Social Services and Health Care
- Marriage and Family Life
- Religious Land Use
- Immigration
- Taxation and Exemptions
- Financing the Churches
- Intellectual Property.
Chapter contents are cross-indexed to speed research, and the work provides extensive references to additional materials, directories of organizations of all denominations, and extensive tables of statutes and cases.