Attorney Pietro E. Canestrelli Certified as Tax Specialist by State Bar
July 14, 2011
Attorney Pietro E. Canestrelli has been certified as a tax specialist by the State Bar of California.
Pietro joins Reid & Hellyer Attorney Stanley A. Harter, a fellow certified tax specialist. Of the 5 certified tax specialists in Riverside County and 4 certified tax specialists in San Bernardino County, only Reid & Hellyer has two certified tax specialists, making the firm home to more certified tax specialists than any other law firm in the Inland Empire.
As reported by the Press-Enterprise, with over 172,431 active attorneys in the State of California, the 358 tax specialists constitute only 0.2% of the state's legal practitioners.
With Pietro's tax law practice beginning in 1999 and Stan Harter's practice starting in 1987, Reid & Hellyer brings decades of tax law experience to clients throughout Southern California. In just the past five years, Pietro's experience in over 25 tax controversy cases has saved clients millions in taxes, penalties and interest. No other law firm in the Inland Empire combines the level of tax law knowledge and litigation experience.
While attorneys may claim that they are "tax specialists," the State Bar prohibits attorneys from claiming that they are a "certified tax specialists" unless they have been designated as such by the State Bar Board of Specialization. (Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 1-400(D)(6).) Pietro now joins the ranks of the state's most elite tax attorneys allowed to boast of holding this impressive title.
To become tax specialists, the State Bar of California Board of Specialization requirements specify that attorneys demonstrate that they are substantially involved in the practice of taxation law and pass a comprehensive, six-hour exam showing their competency in various areas of tax area. Those areas include individual income tax, corporate income tax, partnership income tax, real estate income tax, tax procedures, compensation and benefits tax, federal and California income, estate and gift tax, California tax, estate, gift tax and estate planning, tax exempt organization and current developments in taxation. To sit for the exam, an attorney must have completed numerous courses in these areas or have completed an LL.M degree in taxation.
Pietro earned his law degree from the University of California at Davis in 1999 and passed the California Bar that same year. While practicing as a tax attorney, Pietro specialized in tax law by earning his LL.M. in taxation from the University of San Diego School of Law. As an undergraduate, Pietro attended California State University San Marcos, where he graduated magna cum laude.
Pietro regularly contributes tax law articles to the California Litigation Attorney Blog that are relevant to both consumers and business alike.
Headquartered in Riverside, Calif. with offices in Orange County and Temecula, Reid & Hellyer has been serving Riverside and San Bernardino counties for more than 100 years. As one of the most-respected full-service law firms in Southern California, their attorneys provide legal services in business and real estate litigation, real estate development, transactional law, bankruptcy, media law, tax law and mediation. The lawyers at Reid & Hellyer serve individual and business clients of local, regional and national prominence.