MARK S. BALIAN is the first associate to join Bertone Piccini. He is a cum laude graduate of Villanova University, receiving a Bachelors of Science degree in accounting with a concentration in the honors program in 2004. Mr. Balian graduated from the Villanova University School of Law and School of Business in 2007, receiving both his Juris Doctor and Master in Business Administration. After law school, Mr. Balian received his LL.M. in taxation from Villanova Law in addition to a certificate in estate planning. He is licensed to practice law in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Prior to joining Bertone Piccini, Mr. Balian was employed at Morrison & Company P.A., currently known as WithumSmith+Brown, a forensic accounting firm. While at Morrison & Company, Mr. Balian engaged in forensic and legal investigative casework in the areas of estate and gift tax, shareholder dissent and oppression, divorce, and damage claims. Additionally, Mr. Balian assisted in the mediation of high net worth divorce cases and master of discovery roles, performed trust accountings, valuation of private practices, lifestyle analyses, valuations for gift tax purposes, and operating and trust agreement analyses. Further, Mr. Balian prepared guides on palimony, the valuation of medical practices, and a judge's guide to divorce taxation, in addition to other research and writing assignments in the areas of gift and estate tax, divorce, shareholder matters, business valuations, and forensic accounting.
While obtaining his LL.M., Mr. Balian joined the Villanova University Federal Tax Clinic representing taxpayers in controversies with the IRS and in Tax Court. Client controversies included, offers in compromise, identity theft, request for collection due process hearings, claim of right matters, request for refunds, administrative appeals, and collection matters.
During law school, Mr. Balian served as law clerk to The Honorable Susan Peikes Gantman of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. Further, Mr. Balian clerked for Robert Pless, Esq. and Randy Habeeb, Esq. of Pless and Habeeb LLP located in Hackensack, New Jersey. While at Pless and Habeeb, Mr. Balian solved complex income, trust, and estate tax issues and prepared operating and management agreements, durable power of attorney documents, healthcare proxies, waiver of accounting forms, codicils, various trusts and last will and testaments. Mr. Balian also assisted in the discovery and pretrial process on various cases.
Mr. Balian was also employed as an accountant for Franzese & Balian, CPAs in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. While at Franzese & Balian, Mr. Balian completed individual, corporate, and partnership tax returns as well as preparing work papers from "cradle to grave." Further, Mr. Balian helped clients comply with the New Jersey Amnesty Program, performed pro-bono tax work for senior citizens, and worked directly with clients to achieve client accounting and tax objectives.