Buchalter

Buchalter is a full-service law firm with a long track record in Los Angeles real estate and tax law. Their property tax practice handles everything from routine assessment reviews to contested appeals before the Assessment Appeals Board. The firm draws on decades of California property law experience, and their attorneys understand how the Los Angeles County Assessor's Office operates from the inside out. The team works with commercial property owners, developers, investors, and high-net-worth individuals who feel their assessed values don't reflect market reality. Whether you're dealing with a post-purchase reassessment, a decline-in-value claim, or a change-in-ownership dispute, Buchalter brings serious legal firepower to the table. Their size means they can handle complex multi-parcel portfolios and coordinate with appraisers, CPAs, and litigation teams when a case escalates.

Buchalter's property tax services cover the full lifecycle of an assessment dispute. On the front end, they do thorough assessment reviews, pulling comparable sales data and working with certified appraisers to build a case for reduced value. They file appeals with the Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board and represent clients through hearings, which can get adversarial when large dollar amounts are involved. Beyond appeals, they handle Proposition 13 change-in-ownership issues, which trip up a lot of buyers and sellers in California. Misclassified ownership transfers can trigger massive reassessments, and Buchalter's team knows how to challenge those rulings. They also advise on 1031 exchanges with property tax implications, welfare exemptions for nonprofit-owned properties, and supplemental assessment disputes that often catch new owners off guard. For commercial landlords, they review lease clauses tied to property tax pass-throughs and make sure clients aren't overpaying or overcharging tenants. Business personal property assessments are another area they cover, especially for companies with significant equipment or fixture inventories. Their legal background means they can also take disputes to superior court if the administrative process doesn't produce a fair result.

The process starts with a free consultation where the attorneys review your current assessed value, recent sales comps, and any prior appeal history. If there's a viable case, they put together a formal engagement and begin gathering evidence, typically pulling three to five years of comparable sales and commissioning an independent appraisal if the property is complex. They file the appeal before the Los Angeles County deadline, which is generally September 15 for the prior year's assessment. From there, they prepare the formal presentation and negotiate with the Assessor's Office, which sometimes settles before the hearing. If it goes to hearing, their attorneys present the case directly to the board. After a decision, they advise on whether a further challenge makes sense. Throughout, clients get regular status updates and clear explanations of what each step means for their tax bill.

Buchalter primarily serves clients with properties in Los Angeles County, including downtown LA, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Culver City, and the San Fernando Valley. They also handle matters in neighboring counties like Orange, Ventura, and San Bernardino when the work connects to existing client relationships or multi-county portfolios.