Stephen J. Small, Esq.

Stephen J. Small is a tax attorney at his own firm, the Law Office of Stephen J. Small, Esq., P.C, in Boston. He is the author of:

• The Federal Tax Law of Conservation Easements
• Preserving Family Lands: Book I
• Preserving Family Lands: Book II
• Preserving Family Lands: Book III

  Both Preserving Family Lands books have sold more than 90,000 copies.

  Stephen J. Small is recognized as the nation's leading authority on private land protection options and strategies. Before authoring the Federal Tax Law of Conservation Easements and Preserving Family Lands: Book I, Book II, and Book III, and he wrote the Federal Income Tax Regulations on Conservation Easements as attorney-advisor in the Office of Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service.

  Steve currently represents and advises numerous corporate, individual, and family owners on complex land planning for their properties. He also directs project teams on extensive and complex planning for maximum income tax benefits in connection with conservation easements. Steve advises government agencies and non-profits on leveraging land acquisition dollars.

  In addition to representing clients and writing books, Steve Small also tours the United States delivering speeches and leading workshops on the importance of income tax and estate tax planning and land preservation.

  The Experience:

  Before going into private practice, Mr. Small was an attorney-advisor in the Office of Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service in Washington, D.C., where he wrote the federal income tax regulations on conservation easements. 
   

  The Focus:

  Mr. Small advises landowners on federal income and estate tax planning to help preserve valued family land, including planning for the next generation of ownership. He has worked with private landowners around the country to preserve a wide range of property, from small family parcels, timberland, and dairy farms, to western ranches, Atlantic coast barrier islands, farmland, and wildlife habitat. 
   

  The Initiative:

  Mr. Small has given more than two hundred fifty speeches, seminars, and workshops around the country on tax planning for landowners, succession planning for family lands, and tax incentives for land conservation. He is a member of the Massachusetts and District of Columbia Bars.

  RECENT PROJECTS INCLUDE:

• Representing numerous corporate, individual, and family owners of ranchland, farmland, forestland, and historic property in conservation and preservation easement projects and succession planning for family properties; consultation with local counsel
• advising government agencies and non-profits on how to leverage acquisition dollars and related tax and legal planning for property owners
• advising and planning for conservation and preservation buyers; planning for and creating family private foundations and charitable remainder trusts; structuring bargain sales of easements and properties to conservation and preservation organizations and government agencies
• coordinating project teams on extensive and complex planning for maximum income tax benefits in connection with high-value easements
• counsel to non-profits in property transactions, the law of tax-exempt organizations and the drafting and use of legal conservation documentation
  
  

  You may find out what Mr. Small's current public speaking schedule is by clicking here. You may contact Mr. Small directly by clicking here.

Stephen J. Small, Esq. Law Office of Stephen J. Small, Esq., P.C. One Gateway Center Suite 305 Newton, MA  02110 Phone: 617-357-4012 Fax: 617-357-1857  Visit Website

The Conservation Purposes Test

Test your knowledge of Conservation Purposes.. By: Stephen J. Small, Esq.. It is important to emphasize that not every easement restricting the future development of property will meet the tax law requirements. The tax law requires that the gift be "for conservation purposes. As a rule, the followin ...

Appraisals and Valuation

Appraisals and Valuations - HOW THE GIFT IS VALUED. By: Stephen J. Small, Esq.. For purposes of the tax rules, the "value" of a property is equal to what it would sell for if it were put to the most valuable economic use that is possible under the circumstances. In many cases (though not all) with land t ...

THE NEW CONSERVATION TAX INCENTIVES

1 THE NEW CONSERVATION TAX INCENTIVES – SOME THINGS WE KNOW AND SOME THINGS WE DON’T KNOW By Stephen J. Small, Esq. (3/9/07) On August 17, 2006, the President signed into law the Pension Protection Act of 2006. The new law includes the first major new income tax incentives for land conservation sinc ...

Estate Tax Incentive For Landowners

AN IMPORTANT ESTATE TAX INCENTIVE FOR LANDOWNERS. By: Stephen J. Small, Esq.. In 1997, for the first time in more than a decade, Congress added to the law significant new tax incentives for voluntary land protection by private landowners.Let’s start with a few important observations. Every single conservation ea ...

Post-Mortem Donation of Conservation Easements

You’re Not Too Late: The Post-Mortem Donation of Conservation Easements. By. Robert Levin. Attorney at Law The following is an adapted version of an article that appeared in Tax Notes Today in October 30, 2000. Robert H. Levin is a practicing Maine attorney who specializes in land conservation. He works with land t ...

Proper and Improper Deductions for Conservation Easement Donations

Proper and Improper Deductions for Conservation Easement Donations, Including Developer Donations. By: Stephen J. Small, Esq.. The rotten apple injures its neighbors, so Chaucer once said. In this comprehensive article, Boston attorney Stephen J. Small notes that a small number of "bad" conservation e ...