Berj Dersahakian

Berj Dersahakian is a Tax Attorney at Abajian Law, APC.  Berj practices in all aspects of tax controversy including tax research, audits, and collection defense. He represents taxpayers in cases involving income tax, employment tax, collection, innocent spouse relief, and penalty abatements. Berj has particular experience in cases involving federal tax penalties (failure to file penalties, failure to pay penalties, and trust fund recovery penalties), Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (“FBAR”) cases, disclosures under the streamlined (foreign and domestic) filing compliance procedures, and offshore information return filing and penalties (Form 8938, Form 3520 and Form 3520-A).

Prior to joining Abajian Law, Berj worked as a legal intern for the largest private-label bottled water company in North America where he reviewed and revised various contracts from Fortune 500 companies, and conducted legal research on countless topics including contract law, property law, and tax law. Berj also worked as a Law Clerk at a Tax Law firm in San Diego, California, where he assisted attorneys with client matters before the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), Franchise Tax Board (“FTB”), Employment Development Department (“EDD”), and California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (“CDTFA”).

Berj received his Juris Doctorate from California Western School of Law, where he graduated in the top 30% of his class. While in law school, Berj was on the Dean’s Honor List and awarded the Academic Excellence Award in Securities Regulation. In addition, Berj received a Professional Certification in Corporate Finance from ColumbiaX, Columbia University.

Currently, Berj is completing his Masters of Laws (“LL.M.”) in Taxation from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles where he has already received the First Honors Award in Corporate Taxation.