Sidney Kess CPA, J.D., LL.M. (taxation)

In 2010, Sidney Kess, CPA, J.D., LL.M., was named Counsel to Kostelanetz & Fink, LLP. Mr. Kess was recently selected “Most Influential Practitioner” by CPA Magazine, and is a nationally renowned tax expert and author/coauthor of hundreds of tax books on financial and estate planning. Having lectured to more than 725,000 practitioners on tax, financial, and estate planning, Mr. Kess is one of the nation’s most prominent lecturers on continuing professional education. Mr. Kess is also Consulting Editor of CCH Incorporated’s Financial and Estate Planning Reporter. In addition, Mr. Kess was Chairman of the Advisory Board of Tax Hotline and is a member of the PPC Tax Action Panel. He has edited a column on “Tax Tips” for the New York Law Journal for the past forty-one years.

Mr. Kess is editor of the AICPA’s CPA Client Bulletin and CPA Client Tax Letter. He is also Executive Editor, Tax, of CPA Magazine. He has written hundreds of AICPA tax workshops, audio, and video programs, and is the recipient of the AICPA Distinguished Lecturer Award. Mr. Kess is often quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and other national publications. He was included in Accounting Today’s, “100 Most Influential CPAs in the U.S.” for several years, as well as CPA Magazine’s, “Most Influential CPAs in the U.S.” Mr. Kess was the National Director of Tax at KPMG Main Hurdman and a tax partner at KPMG Peat Marwick. Mr. Kess is the recipient of the AICPA’s “Special Recognition Award” for his many years of contributions to the AICPA’s continuing professional education program and was elected to the Estate Planning Hall of Fame by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils for his distinguished service to the field of estate planning.

The AICPA established the Sidney Kess Award for Excellence in Continuing Education, to recognize individual CPAs who have made significant and outstanding contributions in tax and financial planning and whose public service exemplifies the CPA profession’s finest values and ethics. Sidney Kess was the first recipient of this Award. Mr. Kess was inducted into the New York State Society of CPA’s Hall of Fame. He received his B.B.A. from Baruch College, his J.D. from Harvard University School of Law, and his LL.M. from New York University Graduate School of Law.