Neil D. Katz, JD, LLM, is the Managing Partner of Katz, Smith & Chwat, P.C., in Melville, N.Y., and is an Special Assistant Professor of Taxation at Hofstra University. His practice focuses on federal and state income tax issues, as well as on matters relating to corporate, partnership, estate, and gift taxation. His experience extends to the strategic planning and drafting of various business agreements and complex estate plans, as well as the negotiation and representation in the acquisitions or sales of business interests. He is frequently called upon to speak before various professional organizations, including the NYSSCPA, the National Conference of CPA Practitioners, the Nassau and Suffolk County Bar Associations, the Financial Planning Association, the Suffolk and Nassau County Estate Planning Councils, as well as many local and regional CPA firms.

Debra Herman is a partner in the Hodgson Russ LLP's State & Local Tax Practice. She is widely recognized for her experience in state and local taxation. Debra works with a variety of clients to address the state and local tax impact of their multistate activities from both a planning and an audit and controversy viewpoint and on complex transactions, with a focus on New York State tax matters. Debra counsels clients with respect to corporate income and franchise taxes, bank taxes, utility taxes, unincorporated business taxes, sales and use taxes, gross receipts taxes, excise taxes on real property transfers, rent and occupancy taxes, and withholding taxes. She also has extensive experience working with high-net-worth clients on residence and other personal income tax matters and successfully representing clients in all phases of tax disputes, including audits and litigation at the federal, state, and local levels, as well as criminal tax investigations. Debra’s clients have included domestic and global financial service companies, law firms, real estate investment trusts and cooperatives, manufacturers, retailers, airlines, entertainers, high-net-worth individuals, and tax-exempt organizations. Debra served as the chair of the State and Local Tax Committee of the New York City Bar Association and is the past Immediate Chair of the State and Local Tax Committee of the American Bar Association, Tax Section. She is also a nationally recognized author on state tax topics. She co-authored the BNA Portfolio “New York Sales and Use Taxes” and a bimonthly article on New York State and New York City taxation in the New York Law Journal and writes a monthly column in the Journal of Taxation on state and local tax matters before the U.S. Supreme Court. Debra is a frequent speaker on state and local tax issues and has appeared before such groups as Tax Executives Institute, the Institute for Professionals in Taxation, the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the New York City Bar Association, and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. Debra has twenty-five years of experience representing clients in state tax audits and New York State and New York City tax litigation, obtaining federal and state rulings and advisory opinions, providing tax opinion letters, and assisting with voluntary disclosures and collection matters.

Aliza represents clients in a variety of state tax matters, including corporate income, franchise, sales and use, realty transfer and personal income taxes. Her experience from working in accounting firms, as in-house counsel and as an attorney handling complex state tax litigation provides her with a comprehensive perspective to handling state tax matters. Aliza assists clients with state tax audits, administrative appeals and, when necessary, litigation. She has represented clients in state tax controversy matters before the New Jersey Tax Court, New Jersey Appellate Division, New York Division of Tax Appeals and Tax Appeals Tribunal, New York Appellate Division, Pennsylvania Board of Appeals and Board of Finance and Revenue and Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board. Aliza also provides clients with advice regarding the state tax implications of their everyday business operations as well as mergers and acquisitions. Aliza served as a pro bono attorney for six years with Partners for Women and Justice, a nonprofit public law firm providing legal representation, advice and legislative advocacy that furthers positive change in the lives of domestic violence and sexual assault victims.

Liz is a partner in the firm’s State & Local Tax Practice and leader of the Accountant Professional Practice. She concentrates her practice on individual and business tax issues with a focus on the state and local tax impacts of complex transactions, whether from an individual or business tax perspective at the planning stage, or in a state tax controversy. Liz assists clients with planning and controversy matters in New York State, New York City, and Connecticut, as well as in multistate matters. She regularly advises clients on state tax allocation and apportionment for individuals and businesses; New York City taxes, including Unincorporated Business Tax, General Corporation tax, and Commercial Rent Tax; Pass-Through Entity Taxes; corporate franchise tax; and residency. She works frequently with clients on state tax controversies involving IRC § 1031 exchanges and other complex tax matters. Liz also assists businesses in managing the state tax implications of remote work, working closely with them to address current and future state tax obligations of a multistate workforce. Liz has extensive experience with audits and appeals in New York State, New York City and Connecticut. She has also successfully guided hundreds of clients through the voluntary disclosure process. Liz is a frequent presenter on a wide range of topics including Pass-Through Entity Taxes; Residency; Multi-State Apportionment; and the State Tax Implications of Remote Work. She is a contributor to the American Bar Association’s Sales and Use Tax Deskbook; the New York Residency and Allocation Audit Handbook; the New York Bar Association Tax Section reports; and has published articles in State Tax Notes, Bloomberg Tax, TaxStringer, and Journal of Accountancy.

Yvonne R. Cort is a Partner at Capell Barnett Matalon & Schoenfeld LLP, where she focuses her practice on resolving Federal and New York State tax controversies. For over twenty years, Yvonne has assisted individuals and businesses with IRS and NYS tax matters including New York State and New York City residency audits, IRS and NYS audits and appeals, unfiled returns, income tax, sales tax, withholding tax, responsible person assessments, liens and levies, innocent spouse, voluntary disclosure, installment agreements and offers in compromise. Yvonne has been selected to New York Metro SuperLawyers, a designation given to only 5% of the lawyers in the state. She has served as Chair of the IRS Downstate New York Practitioner Liaison Group and Chair of the Tax Law Committee of the Nassau County Bar Association. She is a Co-Chair of the Attorneys and Accountants Joint Committee of the New York State Society of CPAs, Nassau Chapter. She is also a member of the New York State Bar Association Tax Section, where she has contributed to policy papers. Yvonne has been honored as a Long Island Business News Top 50 Women in Business, and is a recipient of the Long Island Power Women in Business award from Long Island Press. Yvonne’s numerous articles on tax topics have been featured in accounting and legal publications such as the Journal of Multistate Taxation and Incentives, and the Tax Stringer, published by the New York State Society of CPAs. She is a regular speaker for many professional groups in New York and Florida. Yvonne has been interviewed by various media outlets, and she has been quoted in several leading publications including Bloomberg BNA and Newsday. Yvonne received her B. A. magna cum laude from the University of Rochester, and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. Yvonne is admitted to the Bar in New York and Pennsylvania, and admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court.

Steven B. Gorin, Esq., CPA, CGMA, Partner, Thompson Coburn LLP is a nationally recognized practitioner in the areas of estate planning and the structuring of privately held businesses. Over the course of his 30-year career, Steve has amassed a deep knowledge of nearly every aspect of tax strategy for privately held businesses and freely shares that knowledge with others in the field. In his work for businesses, he helps owners plan for the eventual sale (to co-owners, employees, or third parties) or transfer (to family members), and provides a legal framework for an orderly transition while strategically saving income, transfer, and FICA taxes. His quarterly newsletter, "Business Succession Solutions," is considered essential reading for hundreds of CPAs and attorneys, who describe it as "a fantastic contribution to the field." He also maintains a blog, Business Succession Solutions, intended to help business owners — and those who advise or support them — consider smart tax strategies.

Robert S. Barnett, CPA, Esq., is a founding partner of Capell Barnett Matalon & Schoenfeld LLP, Attorneys at Law. His practice is highly concentrated in the areas of taxation, trusts, estates, corporate and partnership law and charitable planning. His experience includes Surrogate’s Court practice, tax dispute resolution, and Tax Court representation. Mr. Barnett frequently assists clients in structuring financial transactions and charitable gifts. Mr. Barnett applies creative and practical solutions to estate and business planning. He has served on many committees and is a frequent lecturer on numerous aspects of tax and business law. He is an active participant and serves on many professional and charitable boards. Mr. Barnett is a frequent lecturer and writer. His articles and lectures encompass a wide variety of topics, including business succession, estate planning, charitable planning, generation-skipping, stock options, effective strategies for removing tax liens, business taxation, utilization of the marital deduction and partnership elections. Mr. Barnett received his juris doctor in 1986 from Fordham University, where he graduated cum laude and was a member of the Fordham Law Review. He graduated magna cum laude from Hofstra University, where he received his Bachelor’s degree in accounting. Mr. Barnett holds a Master’s degree in taxation as the recipient of the highest dean’s award. Mr. Barnett is admitted to practice law in New York, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Member: • Board of Directors of the Long Island Community Foundation.
• Board of Directors of Nassau Academy of Law
• Professional Advisors Committee of the Long Island Community Foundation
• Professional Advisors Committee of the American Heart Association
• Past Education Committee Chairman NCCPAP
• Past President of the NCCPAP Educational Foundation
• Past President of Nassau Chapter NYSSCPA
• Member of Nassau Academy of Law Advisory Board
• CPA Journal Editorial Review Board, May 2017-2020 Awards:
• 2013 Max Block Distinguished Article Award for Technical Analysis
• November 2016 – Samuel A. Dyckman, Excellence in Education Award
• November 2016 – Leadership in Law Award – Long Island Business News
• May 2017 – Distinguished Service Award – NYSSCPAS – Nassau Chapter
• Dean’s Award in Taxation – Long Island University CW Post
• Fordham Law Review
• Fordham University American Jurisprudence Award – Trusts and Estates

Mike is a Director of Taxes. He has over 20 years of experience in tax planning and structuring for privately held companies. He is a recognized firm wide tax technical resource and is well versed in a broad range of tax areas involving closely-held companies. Mike’s prior experience as a tax partner in a Big Four accounting firm included responsibility for a broad range of U.S. multi-national and foreign-owned clients operating in corporate and joint venture forms, with extensive experience involving all of the tax functions of his clients, including complex transactions, international tax services and tax technical issues. Mike was an Adjunct Professor of Taxation at St. John’s University, Peter J. Tobin School of Business, Queens, New York, Manhattan Campus from 2005 through 2012 where he teaches classes in corporate and partnership taxation. Mike is also a member of the Executive Advisory Board, Department of Accounting and Taxation at St. John’s.