William R. Christian

William R. Christian

Principal
Location:
Los Angeles, California
Phone:
213-895-4900 ex 213
Fax:
213-486-2846
Email:

Bill Christian joined the firm as a principal in 1989. Bill has worked for many years serving as a legal adviser for small businesses and individuals throughout the State of California, and has significant experience in personal estate planning, including business succession planning, entity selection and governance, planning to minimize taxes and related areas that significantly impact individuals and small businesses.

He is known in the legal field as a tax attorney with a broad range of experience in all areas of individual, corporate, partnership, estate tax planning and tax controversy work. His practice has placed particular emphasis on effective planning through entity selection, discount and liability planning, business, estate and corporate tax and business planning and individual tax planning matters. His client base includes a substantial number of individuals and closely held businesses. Specific areas of extensive expertise include: estate planning, wills, trusts and gift tax planning; probate; Subchapter S, partnership and LLC taxation and structure, corporate and partnership acquisitions, sales, structure and planning; reorganizations and recapitalizations; real estate (primarily acquisitions, exchanges, leasing, risk and liability planning). His own description is more concise: "I'm a small business and individual problem solver."

Bill is author of Subchapter S Taxation, published by Warren, Gorham & Lamont. He is a frequent lecturer in tax law, having lectured at the University of Southern California, the University of California at Los Angeles, Golden Gate University, California State University at Northridge and California State University at Fullerton. He is also a frequent speaker at accounting, legal and professional associations.

Bill has five children and spends time off from work with his children racing Mazda Miata sports cars with the Sports Car Club of America.

Areas of Practice

  • Business & Commercial Law
  • Securities Law
  • Taxation Law
  • Estate Planning
  • Real Estate Law

Certified Legal Specialties

  • Certified Public Accountant, 1971
  • Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate

Bar Admissions

  • California, 1974
  • U.S. District Court Central District of California

Education

  • University of California, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, California
    • J.D. - 1973
    • Honors: Order of the Coif
    • Law Journal: Hastings Law Journal, Member, 1971 - 1972
    • Law Journal: Hastings Law Journal, Associate Editor, 1972 - 1973
  • California State University, Fullerton, California
    • B.A. - 1970

Published Works

  • Subchapter S. Taxation , Shepard's McGraw-Hill, 4th Ed., 1998
  • Recent Developments in S Corporation Taxation, (Co-Author), 48th USC Ann. Instit. on Fed. Tax, Chapter 5, 1996

Classes/Seminars

  • Lecturer, University of California at Los Angeles, 1979
  • Lecturer, Golden Gate University Masters in Tax Program, 1985 - 1990
  • Lecturer, CEB and AICPA programs

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Los Angeles County Bar Association, Member, Executive Committee, Section of Taxation
  • American Bar Association, Member, Subcommittee on S Corporations
  • State Bar of California, Member

Past Employment Positions

  • Hufstedler, Miller, Kaus & Beardsly, 1983 - 1990
  • Pepper, Hamilton & Scheetz, 1980 - 1983
  • Willis, Butler, Scheifly, Leydorf & Grant