Best Lawyers in California, United States for Tax Law
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Cities
Michael J. A. Karlin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Michael J. A., who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael J. A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Myron Sugarman concentrates his practice in the areas of estate planning, deferred compensation, taxation of nonprofit and charitable institutions, and family and personal tax planning. His experience extends to all areas of federal and local taxation. Prior to entering private practice, Myron served in the Office of The Judge Advocate General, U.S. Army at the Pentagon. A former president of the San Francisco Tax Club, he is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the San ...
Daniel C. Lorenzen is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Daniel C., who practices law in Westlake Village, California, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Daniel C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Ryan M. Austin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law. Ryan M., who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ryan M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Paul Frimmer focuses on estate planning, wills and trusts, probate and trust administration, postmortem tax planning, probate litigation, art law, charitable giving, and tax issues relating to these matters. Widely regarded as one of the top estate planning attorneys in the country, Paul has received numerous accolades for his work. He’s known for taking a collaborative approach with his clients and guiding them toward the best decisions tailored to meet their individual needs. Paul has...
Troy Van Dongen focuses his practice on the resolution of state and local tax (SALT) controversies through negotiation and litigation. He advises clients across the country in a variety of state and local tax matters, including income, franchise, sales, and use taxes, and he has a particularly strong background in property taxation. Read full biography here: https://www.mwe.com/people/van-dongen-troy/
Michael Shaff joined the firm in 2011 as Of Counsel. He is the Chair of the Tax Practice group. Michael specializes in all aspects of federal income taxation. Mr. Shaff has served as a trial attorney with the Office of the Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service for three years. Mr. Shaff is certified by the Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California as a specialist in tax law. Mr. Shaff is a past Chair of the Tax Section of the Orange County Bar Association. He is co-...
Louis Mezzullo’s principal areas of practice are Taxation, Estate and Business Succession Planning, and Employee Benefits. He was on the faculty of the University of Miami School of Law Graduate Program in Estate Planning from 2004 to 2007 and on the faculty of the University of San Diego School of Law in 2009. He was an adjunct professor of law at the University of Richmond Law School from 1978 until 2006. He is listed in Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who in Emerging Leaders and Who...
Warren J. Kessler is a highly regarded expert in taxation, real estate, estate planning, and corporate matters. He has a national reputation in advising clients on all forms of tax-deferred 1031 exchanges including forward, reverse and build-to-suit exchanges, and on sophisticated partnership and limited liability company matters. Experience: Shareholder, Kessler & Kessler, A Law Corporation, 1987 to present. President, Century 1031 Exchange Inc. and Century Reverse Exchange Inc., 2005-20...
Alyse Pelavin focuses her practice on estate and gift tax planning for high net worth individuals and closely held businesses and in the administration of estates and trusts. She also has extensive experience in the areas of charitable giving and tax-exempt organizations. Her clients range from young entrepreneurs and corporate executives to multigenerational family groups. Alyse works closely with clients at every stage to implement tax-efficient wealth transfer and preservation strategies t...
David Cheng is the chair and managing partner of Nixon Peabody’s China and Asia-Pacific practice. He is qualified in both the United States and Hong Kong. He focuses on cross-border transactions, litigations and investigations, advising on issues ranging from acquisitions, capital financing (initial public offering), intellectual property protection and disputes to fraud, FCPA and SEC investigations. He has a client portfolio from all over the world: United States, Middle East, Europe, ...
Robert Duran is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law. Robert, who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Robert is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
David W. Herbst is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law and Tax Law. David W., who practices law in Redwood City, California, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which David W. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
C. Jean Ryan is Of Counsel in Buchalter’s San Francisco office and a member of the Tax, Benefits and Estate Planning practice group. Ms. Ryan concentrates her practice on general tax matters, which include tax planning for businesses, as well as tax and estate planning for high net worth individuals. With over four decades of experience, Ms. Ryan has a broad tax practice with many areas of expertise. She counsels her clients on corporate, partnership, individual, real estate, gift and e...
HFM Partner Mitch Dubick concentrates his practice in tax controversy matters, representing individuals and business entities before the IRS and all state taxing authorities, and his work also includes business, real estate, and tax planning. Mr. Dubick’s years of experience and cost-effective solutions have made him the choice of clients, accountants, and other lawyers to handle their tax disputes, including audits, overdue returns, offshore accounts, appeals, collection matters (inclu...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.