Advocating For The Rights Of Californians From Generation To Generation

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J. Virginia Peiser

  • Of Counsel

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Practice Areas

  • Trust and Estate Planning
  • Trust and estate administration
  • Tax strategies and controversies
Rated By Super Lawyers | J. Virginia Peiser | 5 Years
State Bar of California Certified | Specialist in Taxation Law
State Bar of California Certified | Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law

Biography

Virginia Peiser designs and implements specialized legal strategies for her clients' tax, estate planning and business needs to minimize taxes and expenses and to maximize the wealth they pass to their beneficiaries. 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, real estate and investment assets.

Since 1975, Virginia has assisted investors and owners of closely held businesses in (a) estate planning and the preparation of revocable and irrevocable trusts, wills, and other estate planning documents; (b) post-death trust administration and probate matters; (c) tax controversies, tax analysis, and planning specialized tax strategies; and (d) counsel and formation of real estate and business entities.

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 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.

Virginia received her Juris Doctor degree with honors from UC College of the Law - San Francisco (formerly Hastings College of the Law), and her LL.M. in Taxation from Golden Gate University School of Law. Upon graduation from law school, J. Virginia based her practice in San Francisco. In 1978, she established her own law firm in San Francisco 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 she has continued to practice in Contra Costa County since that date.

Education

  • University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings), San Francisco, California
    • J.D. - 1975
    • Honors: With High Honors
    • Law Review, Hastings Law Review, Associate Editor, 1973, 1975
  • Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, California
    • LL.M. (Taxation) - 1984
  • University of Chicago, Illinois, Chicago, Illinois
    • B.A. - 1971
    • Major: Urban Studies

Bar Admissions

  • California, 1975
  • U.S. District Court District of North Dakota, 1975
  • U.S. Tax Court, 1984

Professional Associations

  • State Bar of California, Member, 1975 to Present
  • California Lawyers Association, Member, 2020 to Present
  • Contra Costa Bar Association, Member, 1987 to Present
  • CCCBA - Taxation Section, Member/Chair, 1987 to Present
  • CouncilOne Advisors, Member/Board of Directors, 2001 to Present

Published Works

  • Retirement Funds: Accessing the Nest Egg in a Coronavirus Era, Estate Planning, The article outlines flexibility in accessing IRAs and other retirement funds during the circumstances of the Coronavirus epidemic., Contra Costa Lawyer, September, 2020
  • The "Spin" on Corporate Spin-offs, Taxation, The article summaries the requirements to accomplish a tax-free spin-off of a corporate division and highlights traps for the unwary., Contra Costa Lawyer, September, 2017

Honors

  • AV rating - Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
  • Selection to Northern California Super Lawyers

Pro-Bono Activities

  • Kiwanis Club of Oakland/Kiwanis Scholarship Foundation, 2001 to Present

Past Positions

  • Doyle Quane, Of Counsel, 2018 to 2020
  • Archer Norris, Of Counsel, 2005 to 2018

Languages

  • English

Certified Legal Specialties

  • Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization, 2004
  • Taxation Law, State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization, 1987