Law Office of James Hastings PC
sophisticated solutions to complex tax problems
the law office of james hastings uses decades of experience in public accounting, financial statement analysis, income taxation and tax litigation to deliver the best results for our clients
full stack startup advisor
setting up tax advantaged corporate structures for closely held businesses, startups and founders
tax litigation
defending state and federal audits from administrative action through tax litigation and appeals
building tax advantaged litigation strategies to ensure
the best outcome for clients
estate and trust litigation
achieving equitable results for probate, trust and estate controversies
estate planning
delivering comprehensive estate and succession planning to individuals and high net worth families
"I prefer to work with boutiques. My ideal law firm is a law firm of one...
the accountability is extremely high."
- Naval Ravikant, CEO and co-founder of AngelList
practice areas
James Hastings is a tax lawyer and CPA certified by the California Board of Legal Specialization as a Specialist in Taxation Law. He has more than 20 years experience with accounting, tax compliance, and tax litigation, advising early stage tech companies, startups and founders.
tax litigation
Tax litigation starts with a tax notice showing an unfavorable change. The process continues through a labyrinth of administrative procedures and is sometimes resolved only in court.
James has represented clients with matters in all stages including the IRS Office of Appeals, the U.S. Tax Court, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the California Superior Courts.
estate planning
legal consulting
representative cases
u.s. tax court litigation
estate tax litigation
litigation
Accountant's professional negligence
San Francisco Superior Court
The personal representative and sole beneficiary of her mother's estate engaged her mother's CPA to prepare the estate tax return. Identified several significant errors and referred the case to a plaintiff's attorney. Served as both an expert litigation consultant and a fact witness to the litigation and recovered the maximum value of the claim.
Accountant's professional negligence
San Francisco Superior Court
An income tax preparer persuaded his client to file several years of amended returns to claim false or incorrect income tax deductions to create large tax refunds. The amended returns were reversed in audit, resulting in repayment of the prior income tax refunds created by the false deductions, late payment and accuracy penalties. Represented the plaintiff with a professional negligence suit and recovered nearly $100,000 of damages. Calef v. Johnston
Shareholder dispute, breach of fiduciary duty
San Francisco Superior Court
Multi-generational transfer, appreciated real property,
San Francisco County, CA
Represented the beneficiaries of an estate with the transfer a $16M property into subsidiary trusts and used non-taxable transactions and partial disclaimers to structure a tax-advantaged, multi-generational transfer while preserving the original property tax basis.
High-net worth estate planning, conservation easement,
Monterey County, CA
Represented the surviving spouse with restructuring investment real estate holdings; prepared supplementary post-mortem estate planning to preserve original property tax basis and avoid capital gain of more than $6M through fractional ownership and conservation easement discounts.
about us
James Hastings
JD, CPA, LLM Taxation
Certified Specialist in Taxation,
California State Board of Legal Specialization
James Hastings has more than 20 years tax experience as a dual licensed professional and the highest credentials in tax law. As a trusted tax advisor to high-net worth families, entrepreneurs and closely held business, his law practice has earned a reputation for creating sophisticated solutions to complex tax questions. He has been designated a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers since 2014.
James is also the founder and CEO of Engage for CPAs, an automated practice management application for CPAs and tax preparers, and wfhGo.io, a application for independent contractors in California.
Paul H. Nathan, Of Counsel
Experienced trial attorney Paul H. Nathan has become one of the most trusted attorneys in the San Francisco Bay Area. Named as a “Top Attorney” by San Francisco Magazine, a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers, and ranked at the highest level of excellence by his peers in a Martindale-Hubbell review. Paul is founder of the Law Offices of Paul H. Nathan, a litigation firm in San Francisco, California.
tax news & insights
contact information
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