Defensible Business Valuations: What Attorneys Need to Know to Withstand IRS and Litigation Scrutiny

In this session, we will walk through the key factors that make a business valuation defensible under IRS and legal scrutiny. Drawing from real-world engagements, we will highlight common pitfalls in valuation reports, including misapplied discounts, unsupported assumptions, and structural issues that can expose attorneys and their clients to risk. Attendees will gain practical insights into how valuations are challenged, what documentation matters, and how to better position their clients in estate planning, transactions, and dispute settings.

Save the Date

May 11, 2026

12:00 PM CST

Virtual Panel Discussion

Co-Presenter – Kathleen Bilderback

Counsel
Sandberg, Phoenix & von Gontard, P.C.

Kathleen serves as Counsel for Sandberg, Phoenix & von Gontard, P.C., a national law firm based in St. Louis, Missouri. She specializes in wealth transfer planning, business succession, and executive benefits. Prior to returning to private practice in 2005, she was a member of the Advanced Markets Group at General American Life Insurance and subsequently, MetLife. A nationally recognized speaker and author, she has presented to AALU, the Society of FSP, NAIFA, the Top of the Table for the Million Dollar Roundtable, the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils, and various for profit and non-profit organizations around the country. She currently serves as a Trustee for the National Board of NAIFA, a member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the Planned Giving Committee for the St. Louis Zoo Association, and a member of the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation Planned Giving Committee.

Co-Presenter – Jason Pride, CPA, CVA

President
Vested Solutions

Jason Pride, CPA, CVA is the President of Vested Solutions, where he specializes in providing defensible business valuations for privately held companies. He works closely with attorneys, wealth advisors, and business owners to support estate and gift tax reporting, transaction planning, and litigation matters.

Jason’s valuation experience spans a wide range of engagements, including complex ownership structures, large-scale enterprises approaching $1 billion in value, and companies involved in public market transactions, including a direct listing on the NASDAQ. His work is grounded in the standards of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts, with a strong emphasis on IRS compliance and audit defensibility.

He is known for helping clients navigate complex valuation issues and avoid common pitfalls, including unsupported assumptions, misapplied discounts, and inconsistencies that can undermine a report under scrutiny. Jason regularly collaborates with legal counsel to ensure valuation conclusions are well-supported, clearly documented, and positioned to withstand challenges from the IRS, opposing experts, and courts.