Admitted to Practice Law in the States of New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts Practice: It’s not often that outside counsel can contribute to a company’s bottom line. But our property tax appeals team, led by Bruce Stavitsky, chooses appeals carefully and usually agrees to handle them on a contingency basis, where attorney fees are recovered only when the appeal is successful. It could be said that Bruce has an uncanny sense, based on years of experience, of predicting the success of an appeal. But, in truth, his predictions result from hard work and due diligence. Whether for real property, machinery or equipment, Mr. Stavitsky knows the relevant law and understands appraisal and valuation techniques, not just bricks and mortar. He immerses himself, often literally, in the property, thoroughly exploring factors that affect valuation, studying the surrounding environs and evaluating the condition of equipment in those states that assess and tax personal property. He constantly questions whether the client qualifies for exemptions, abatements or assessment reduction. He has the attributes of a forensic lawyer, analyzing, investigating and understanding the impact of the tax and of the tax appeal. Perhaps most important, because of his thorough preparedness, there is no question in the mind of the adversary that Mr. Stavitsky knows the property, understands what it is worth, and knows how to convince the court that his client deserves tax assessment relief. Education: Temple University School of Law, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania J .D., 1980 Fairleigh Dickinson University, Rutherford, New Jersey B.A., 1977, magna cum laude Bar Admissions: · New Jersey, 1983 · New York, 1990 · Massachusetts, 2005 · United States District Court, District of New Jersey, 1983 · United States Supreme Court, 1987 · United States Tax Court, 1984 Organizations/Memberships: · New Jersey State Bar Association · Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT) · National Retail Tenants Association (NRTA) · Nassau County Bar Association, Tax Certiorari Committee · International Council Of Shopping Centers (ICSC) · Montclair United Soccer Club, Coach, 1995-2003 · Montclair Junior Baseball Program, Coach, 1996-2004 Publications: · “Does the Use of Contract Labor Disqualify a Manufacturer from the Massachusetts Personal Property Tax Exemption?” Journal of State Taxation, September-October 2007. · “Tax Appeals and Net Leased Properties” Journal of State Taxation, July-August 2007. · “Analyzing Three Rounds of Property Valuation” NJPA Real Estate Journal, December 2004. · “Benefits and Conditions of Complying With Chapter 91” NJPA Real Estate Journal, November 2004. · “What’s So Special About Special Purpose?” Real Estate Forum, December 1996. · Contributing Author, “Property Taxation” 2d Edition (1995), IPT · “Administrative Rule Making and the Standard Oil Decision: The Impact of Cost recovery Sequence Before Decontrol” The University of Tulsa Law Review, Volume 16, No. 3, Spring 1981. Speaking Engagements: · Instructor, 2007 Intermediate Personal Property Tax School, IPT, Georgia Tech University, Atlanta, Georgia, October, 2007. · “Real Property Tax Assessments”, Income Tax Aspects of Investing in Real Estate in New Jersey,” Lorman Education Services, Parsippany, New Jersey, August 14, 2007. · “What Keeps Industrial Property Values Fair?” IPT Annual Symposium, San Antonio Texas, September 2005. · “California Property Tax Issues,” San Diego Tax Club, San Diego, California, May 1999. · “Property Taxation and Business Valuation,” Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), Corning, New York, February, 1998. · “Tax Assessment Review in New York State With A Particular Emphasis Upon Nassau County and A Discussion of Valuation Theories and Techniques From Both A Taxpayer and Municipal Perspective,” New York State Assessors’ Association, Floral Park, New York, January 1993