Since 1975, Virginia Peiser has represented investors and owners of closely held businesses in tax, business and estate planning matters. She is practice group leader of the Archer Norris taxation and estate planning practice.

Focused on Tax and Estate Tax Planning for Californians

Virginia represents clients in tax controversies, including audits, and in planning specialized tax strategies. She prepares wills and revocable and irrevocable trusts, and provides representation in probate matters, post-death trust administration and real estate transactions. For many clients with particular business or estate planning needs, Virginia forms business entities and serves as business counsel.

Excellence in Practice and Professional Leadership

Virginia is 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. She has an A-V rating, the highest. from the publishers of the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. 

Virginia 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. 

A frequent lecturer in the areas of tax and estate planning, Virginia has published numerous articles on emerging issues and developments in these areas. These include “Taxes and the California Domestic Partner Act,” “The Innocent Spouse Defense,” and ethical best practices in probate and estate planning.

Building a Practice and Reputation in Tax and Estates in the Bay Area

Virginia received her J.D. 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, she was an associate in two San Francisco law firms, first in personal injury litigation and then in business litigation. 

She left these positions in 1978 to open 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, Virginia moved her practice to Contra Costa County, initially as an associate in local law firms, and then as principal in her own firm with tax and estate planning as the primary components of her practice. In March, 2005, she merged her solo practice with the Walnut Creek law firm of Archer Norris where she focuses on tax and estate planning matters for business owners and real property investors.

Committed to the Community

Virginia has served for years as a director, officer and member of community, service and professional groups in San Francisco and in the East Bay area. She lives in Orinda with her husband Michael. Her son Jason and her daughter Erica live in the East Bay.

Virginia Peiser's representative matters include:

• Estate Planning - prepares estate planning documents for clients owning all types of investments.  Virginia provides her clients with a basic estate plan that includes a living trust, and she also represents clients with more extensive estates who need irrevocable trusts, such as life insurance or charitable remainder trusts, or gifting strategies.
• Tax Planning - assists clients in planning business and real property transactions to maximize tax savings.  Virginia assists in structuring business and personal transactions to clearly achieve specific tax results.
• Audit Defense - represents taxpayers in audits before the United States Tax Court, the IRS, the FTB, the BOE and other tax agencies.  Through research, document analysis and negotiations, Virginia has saved her clients hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes.
  • A recent IRS tax audit was completely concluded at the initial conference within parameters satisfactory to the client, as a result of  Virginia’s research, analysis of issues and document presentation.
• Post-Death Matters - provides post-death trust administration ranging from changing title ownership of real properties and notices to beneficiaries, through the preparation of Forms 706, United States Estate Tax Return, and Trust Allocation Agreements.  In addition, Virginia has represented numerous executors and administrators in probate proceedings throughout California, so that assets can be confidently passed on to beneficiaries.
  • Virginia has successfully resolved several trust administration cases without litigation where other attorneys have been unable to satisfactorily distribute trust property to the beneficiaries.