Avi Z. Kestenbaum, Esq.
		Special Professor of Law

Biography

Avi Z. Kestenbaum, Esq. is a Partner in the Tax, Trusts & Estates and Tax Exempt Organizations practice groups of Meltzer Lippe, Goldstein and Breitstone, LLP, located in Mineola, New York. At Meltzer Lippe, Avi’s practice includes sophisticated tax and estate planning for individuals, partnerships, corporations, charities and tax-exempt organizations. Avi provides innovative tax, estate planning and asset preservation advice to CEO’s of major corporations, ultra-high net worth individuals, multi-national businesses and large charitable organizations.

Over the years, Avi’s practice has continued to rapidly expand into several additional complex and sophisticated areas, including, but not limited to international tax and asset preservation planning; tax and estate controversies; and corporate and partnership business structuring. Additionally, Avi serves as attorney and legal advisor to many prominent charitable organizations and has developed a niche practice in the complicated area of charitable planning and the structuring and operations of nonprofit organizations under federal and state laws dealing with complex issues including, lobbying, advocacy, unrelated business income tax, joint ventures, avoiding excise taxes and foreign charities.

Avi has also published numerous articles in leading national tax, estate planning and tax-exempt organization publications, including, among others, Estate Planning Journal, Trusts and Estates, Practical Tax Strategies and Journal of Taxation of Exempts. He is a frequent and well-known lecturer for professional organizations and nonprofit institutions on a variety of topics relating to tax, estate and charitable planning, asset preservation, tax-exempt organizations and special needs planning. One of his articles also appears on the Planned Giving Design Center website and has been republished nationally by many foundations and charitable organizations.

Prior to joining Meltzer Lippe, Avi obtained complex tax and estate planning experience through his association with prestigious law firms in New York City, New Jersey and Florida and as a Trust Administrator for Smith Barney/Citigroup Private Trust Company. Avi received his Bachelors of Science from Touro College, summa cum laude, Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School and Masters of Law in Taxation from the University of Miami School of Law. Avi received academic scholarships for his high achievement at each of these universities and is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey.

Avi enjoys spending time with his wife, Miriam, who is a kindergarten teacher with the New York City Board of Education and their two sons, Eli Jonah and Joseph Tyler. Avi has also authored a children’s story and continues his pursuit and interest in academics and very active schedule while serving as an Adjunct Tax Professor at Hofstra University School of Law and the Baruch College MBA Program.