I assist my clients by taking a sophisticated, but results-oriented, approach towards tax and estate planning matters.

An associate with Williams Coulson for over seven years, Stephen J. Pieklik concentrates his practice in the areas of tax and estate planning.  His tax practice focuses on tax administration and tax controversy matters.  His estate planning practice focuses on young professionals. 

Notable Representative Matters

Representative business planning matters include:

• Obtained a favorable advisory ruling from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue concerning sales and use tax issues related to the construction of a $695 Million manufacturing facility.
• Reviewed and revised a royalty sharing policy for employees of a national research laboratory enabling the employees to treat payments received as capital gains.
• Represented the sellers of a well-known local entertainment company in a multi-million dollar sale with the sale proceeds going to a tax-advantaged, trust-owned vehicle for the benefit of current and future generations.
• Negotiated abatements of $600,000 in section 6707A penalties assessed against three physicians with respect to their participation in welfare benefit plans.
• Litigated and successfully negotiated a $400,000 trust fund recovery penalty abatement with the Department of Justice.
• Successfully negotiated the abatement of almost $100,000 in employment tax penalties for a large regional trucking company enabling the company to obtain additional debt financing.

As an attorney who intimately understands running a closely held business from an owner’s perspective, Stephen’s experience uniquely positions himself as a knowledgeable and multi-dimensional advisor to clients. Stephen takes on a sophisticated, dig-deeper approach to all of his clients’ business and tax issues.

Stephen is a member of the Administrative Practice Committee of the Tax Section of the American Bar Association and the Tax Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association.

Stephen received his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh where he was an associate editor of the Pittsburgh Tax Review. Prior to receiving his law degree, Stephen was awarded a B.S. in accounting from Miami University.

Recent Publications

Taxpayers_Should_Consider_Who_Determines_Willfulness_When_Deciding_Whether_to_Opt_Out_of_2011_FBAR_Voluntary_Disclosure_Initiative.pdf

Tax_Court_Rules_that_Corporate_Taxpayers_Could_Not_Rely_on_Advice_of_VP_of_Tax.

IRS_Provides_Additional_Guidance_on_FBAR_Including_Whether_to_Opt-Out.

Rare_CDP_Taxpayer_Victory_Underscores_Importance_of_Double-Checking_Assessment_Dates_and_Exercising_Right_to_Judicial_Review.

Do_You_Have_Assets_in_a_Foreign_Bank_Account?