Northeast Chapter Annual Tax Conference

Louis W. Pierro is the Founder and Principal of Pierro, Connor & Strauss, LLC, a law firm with offices in the Capital Region, New York City and additional locations in New York, Florida, New Jersey and Massachusetts. His Firm serves clients in the areas of Estate and Trust Planning, Estate and Trust Administration, Estate and Trust Litigation, Business and Tax Planning, Elder Law and Special Needs Planning. Mr. Pierro is a frequent speaker across the country on legal issues relating to estate planning, elder law and business planning. Mr. Pierro is also a Founder of ElderCounsel, a national membership organization of Elder Law and Special Needs law firms, where he now serves as a consultant. It provides proprietary document drafting software and education to over 1400 member firms in 50 states. He also founded ApolloCare, LLC, a business that integrates home care coordination (EverHome Care Advisors), with connected home health technology (VivaLynx) providing seniors, families, and caregivers unique opportunities to live independently in their own home. Mr. Pierro has been selected by his peers as Best Lawyers “2022 Lawyer of the Year” for Elder Law in New York’s Capital Region; an honor he also received in 2018. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers for Elder Law and for “Trusts and Estates” and by Super Lawyers for 15 years, and has been selected to the Best Lawyers in America, The Best Lawyers in New York, Super Lawyers of the Hudson Valley, Top 25 Lawyers in Upstate New York, and New York Times “Top Attorneys in New York.” In addition, Mr. Pierro has maintained an AV preeminent rating from the Martindale-Hubbell since 2001. Mr. Pierro is currently a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys; the American Bar Association, Probate and Trust Section; the NYS Bar Association Trusts and Estates and Elder Law Sections; and the Albany County Bar Association. A graduate of Lehigh University and Albany Law School, Mr. Pierro was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1984 and is licensed to practice in all New York State Courts, the US Supreme Court and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Bill concentrates his practice on federal and international tax law matters, including guiding Canadian and other non-U.S. clients on U.S. tax matters. He has comprehensive experience advising clients on business expansion into the United States, structuring considerations in purchasing U.S. real estate, choice of entity decisions, the tax implications of relinquishing U.S. citizenship or residency status, the application of the CFC and PFIC U.S. anti-deferral regimes, and the new tax reform rules, including the Code section 199A deduction for pass-through entities and the interest deductibility limitations. Bill also has broad experience working on tax controversy matters, including advising clients on voluntary disclosure options, IRS audits, and U.S. Tax Court matters. He also works with a variety of tax-exempt organizations and private foundations on obtaining and maintaining tax-exempt status. Bill is also a member of the firm’s Oil & Gas Practice, where he provides advice and guidance on the tax implications for private placements.

Joe counsels clients on a wide range of state and local taxation issues and represents taxpayers in disputes with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance as well as the New York City Department of Finance. As the Sales & Use Tax Practice Leader, Joe’s practice focuses on sales and use tax issues, especially in the technology (software as a service, cloud computing, digital products, etc.), fine arts and construction industries. Joe is the primary author of our firm’s sales tax blog, All About Sales Tax. Joe is a contributing editor (New York Chapter) of the American Bar Association's Sales and Use Tax Deskbook. Joe also counsels clients regarding personal income tax planning and residency issues. He co-authored, with Mark S. Klein, the 2019 Guidebook to New York Taxes, a reference source of information on this topic and he writes a column for Tax Notes State called “The Endres Assessment." He also advises clients with respect to various federal and state tax incentive-based programs such as the federal renewable energy investment and production tax credits, New York State's Start-Up NY Program, the Excelsior Program, the former Empire Zone Program, the Brownfield Tax Credit Program and the Historical Building Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program. As the Abandoned Property Audits Practice Leader, Joe counsels clients in this area of law and has represented large corporations in complex compliance matters such as multistate abandoned property audits and voluntary disclosures.

Jennifer’s practice focuses on corporate, tax and estate and business succession planning matters. She advises privately held companies and individuals on a wide range of corporate and tax matters, including mergers and acquisitions, real estate, financial transactions and complex trust and estate matters. Admitted to practice in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts, she serves a robust client base of privately held corporate clients and high-net worth individuals seeking corporate, tax and trust and estate planning services. She works closely with other attorneys, accountants, financial advisors and business owners, among others. Her extensive experience includes leading teams to advise clients on the sale and purchase of a wide variety of businesses, including manufacturing, data analytics, construction, wholesale distribution, retail, hospitality, professional services and consulting. In addition, Jennifer advises start up and mature businesses on all aspects of operations, including governance, capital raising, executive compensation and vendor contracts, along with extensive experience working with businesses with respect to MWBE and DBE program qualification and appeals. Jennifer also advises businesses and individuals in all areas of tax planning and controversy work, including with respect to partnerships, corporations, trusts and estates. In addition to her legal practice, Jennifer is the director of the M.S. in taxation program at the University at Albany, State University of New York, where she teaches courses on partnership tax, state and interstate taxation, tax planning and research. She is also an adjunct professor at Albany Law School, where she teaches various tax courses as well.

Scott D. Shimick joined Whiteman Osterman & Hanna in January 2015. He is a Partner with the Firm’s Federal and State Taxation, and Business, Corporate and Commercial Practice Groups. For nearly 20 years, Mr. Shimick has been advising businesses on various tax planning strategies and representing clients before the IRS and the New York Department of Taxation and Finance with respect to audits and litigation. Mr. Shimick’s tax planning includes developing strategies for clients in mergers, acquisitions, and business dispositions, as well as advising on nonqualified deferred compensation planning.