J. Virginia Peiser
Attorney
Biography
Virginia Peiser creates and implements specialized legal strategies for her clients’ tax, estate planning and business needs to minimize tax and to maximize the wealth they pass to the next generation. As a Certified Specialist both in Taxation Law and in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization, Virginia integrates her clients' estate plans and their tax matters with their business and investment assets.
Virginia represents investors and owners of closely held businesses in tax, estate planning, business and real estate matters. Since 1975, she has represented clients in tax controversies and in planning specialized tax strategies, formed business entities and served as business counsel, prepared wills and revocable and irrevocable trusts, and provided representation in trust administration, probate matters and real estate transactions.
Virginia has an AV rating (the highest) from the publishers of the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. She has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Contra Costa County Bar Association Taxation Section since 1988, and she has served four separate terms as Chair of the Taxation Section. Virginia is a regular lecturer in the areas of tax and estate planning, and she has published numerous articles in these fields.
She received her Juris Doctor degree with honors from Hastings College of the Law, and her LL.M. in Taxation from Golden Gate University School of Law. Upon graduation from law school, Virginia based her practice in San Francisco. In 1978, she opened her own law firm in San Francisco in order to represent business owners and investors in their tax, business, and real estate matters. In 1987, she moved her tax and estate planning practice to Contra Costa County, and in September, 2018, she joined the law firm of Doyle Quane in Danville, California.
Education
- Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, California
- LL.M., Taxation - 1984
- University of California, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, California
- J.D. - 1975
- Honors: Order of the Coif, 1975
- Honors: Thurston Society, 1975
- Honors: With Honors
- University of Chicago, Illinois
- B.A. - 1971
- Major: Public Affairs
- University of Michigan
- 1969
Certified Legal Specialties
- Certified Legal Specialist, Trusts and Probate Law
- Certified Legal Specialist, Taxation Law and Estate Planning
Bar Admissions
- California, 1975
Published Works
- The ‘SPIN’ on Corporate Spin-Offs, Contra Costa Lawyer, September, 2017
- You’ve Got (IRS) Mail! What Happens When Your Tax Return is Chosen for Audit, Contra Costa Lawyer, March, 2015
- Tax Aspects of Health Care Reform, Contra Costa Lawyer, July/August, 2010
Professional Associations
- Contra Costa Bar Association, Member, 1988, Member, Present
- Estate Planning Council of Diablo Valley, 2000, Member, Present
- CouncilOne Advisors, 2010, Member, Present
- East Bay Trusts and Estates Lawyers, 2019, Member, Present
- California Bar Association
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J. Virginia Peiser
Rated by Super Lawyers
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Practice Areas:
- Estate Planning
- Taxation
- Trust and Estate Administration
- Business Entity Formation and Administration
- Real Property
Honors
- AV Rating, Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
- Selected to Super Lawyers: 2017 - 2022
Past Positions
- Archer Norris, Attorney, 2005 to 2018
- Law Offices of J. Virginia Peiser, Attorney/Owner, 1995 to 2005
Classes & Seminars
- Taxing Matters: Selected Issues in the Tax Act, Council of Business Advisors, 08/09/2018
- Preserve the Value of Your Business: Estate Planning Tips for Business Owners, Council of Business Advisors, 11/10/2016
- IRS Collections: Options for Unpaid Tax Liabilities, Council of Business Advisors, 07/09/2015
- The Tax Man Cometh: Tax Audits and Bankruptcy, Contra Costa County Bar Association, MCLE Spectacular, 11/21/2014
- An Estate Planning Guide for the Perplexed, Council of Business Advisors, 05/08/2014
- Spellbound: the GRTs and CRTs of Estate Tax Reduction, California Society of CPAs – East Bay Chapter, 09/18/2012
Pro-Bono Activities
- Kiwanis Club of Oakland, 2000 to Present
- Contra Costa Jewish Community Center, 1998 to Present