People › Deirdre R. Wheatley-Liss

Deirdre R. Wheatley-Liss

Principal

Morristown, NJ | New York, NY
(973) 889-4278
DRWheatleyliss@pbnlaw.com
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Overview

Deirdre R. Wheatley-Liss divides her practice between representation of business owners and their businesses, counselling individuals and families, and advising non-profit entities.

Business Owners and Business Representation

Ms. Wheatley-Liss counsels business owners on legal and structural issues related to start-up, financing, growth and exit strategy.  As a tax attorney, she always keeps an eye on minimizing a business owner's "silent partner" – the IRS. She also advises on director and officer (D&O) liability issues, including business succession and break-ups. By creating the most efficient organizational structures and contractual arrangements during the infancy and growth of a business she has helped clients keep hundreds of thousands of dollars in their pockets upon the sale of the mature business.

To educate both the public and the legal community about issues relating to business ownerships, Ms. Wheatley-Liss is a frequent lecturer to professionals and the public on topics related to start-up, intellectual property, employee and independent contractor issues, wealth transfer, tax minimization, business succession planning and cybersecurity.

Data Privacy and Cybersecurity

Ms. Wheatley-Liss helps organizations to meet regulatory requirements by assessing current data privacy and cybersecurity policies against best practice frameworks.  Deirdre provides counseling pertaining to policies and pre-incident planning, in order to minimize loss in the case of a potential breach.  She is a frequent lecturer on best practices and corporate governance as related to privilege and cybersecurity.  

Individual and Family Representation

The core of Ms. Wheatley-Liss' practice is protecting the wealth her clients have earned and created over a lifetime – from taxes, long-term care costs, ill-equipped beneficiaries, divorce, lawsuits and mis-management by others.  To do this she focuses on educating clients about how to make the legal system work to help them meet their goals and then carry out that plan.  This may include creating wills and trusts, tax planning, advising an executor of an estate, representing a beneficiary in a disputed estate, crafting a long-term care asset protection plan, elder law counseling, special needs planning or guardianships.

Ms. Wheatley-Liss devotes time to educating the public and professional communities as well.   She is an in-demand speaker on estate planning, elder law and special needs planning.  She has blogged at New Jersey Estate Planning & Elder Law Blog, a leading commentary on developments in tax law, estate planning, estate administration, elder law and business law.  Ms. Wheatley-Liss is the author of the published book "Plan Your Own Estate" and is working on a second book about Elder Law and Asset Protection Planning.

Non-Profit Representation

Non-profit entities, whether educational institutions, community groups or family foundations, have unique needs and must meet stringent tax rules to maintain their non-profit status.  Ms. Wheatley-Liss counsels these clients to educate them about those rules, develop strategies and best practices to meet their charitable goals, assist with tax filings and advocate before the IRS and tax authorities. 

Education and Community Involvement

Ms. Wheatley-Liss' continuous pursuit of knowledge distinguishes her from other practitioners in her fields. She has an LL.M in Taxation, an advanced legal degree. She is also accredited as a Certified Elder Law Attorney, by the American Bar Association approved National Elder Law Foundation, one of fewer than 100 attorneys in New Jersey with this credential. She hones her knowledge through continuous legal and business education to share "best practice" strategies with her clients.

Ms. Wheatley-Liss is active in the local business community as a member of the Board of Directors of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, chair at the Morris Members Council, advisor to the Women in Business Committee and Board Member of Business Owners Exchange.  She serves on the Estate Planning Council of Northern New Jersey, Co-Chairs the Tax, Trust, Estate and Elder Law Committee of the Morris County Bar Association and is Vice-Chair of the Tax Steering Committee of the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys.  She acts as a legal advisor to several local non-profit organizations created to support various populations in New York and New Jersey.

Recognition

No aspect of this or any advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. For ranking methodologies, please see here. 

  • The Best Lawyers in America® – Corporate Law (2025); Elder Law (2025); Trusts and Estates (2025)
  • New Jersey Super Lawyers®  (2023 and 2024)
  • NJBIZ - Leaders in the Law (2022)
  • New Jersey Rising Stars® (2009 and 2010)
  • NJBIZ - Top 50 Women in Business (2009)
  • NJBIZ  - 40 Under 40 (2008)
  • Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the ABA Accredited National Elder Law Foundation
  • Tri-County Scholarship Fund - Women of Achievement Award  (2014 and 2015)

Memberships

  • Estate Planning Council of Northern New Jersey - Board of Directors, Immediate Past President
  • New Jersey State Bar Association 
  • New York Bar Association
  • National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) - Board of Directors - NJ Chapter
  • National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) - Chair, Tax Section Steering Committee
  • Elder Law Committee of the Morris County Bar Association - Co-Chair
  • Morris County Bar Association
  • Morris County Chamber of Commerce - Women in Business
  • Morris County Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors –  Chair (present), Vice-Chair (2021 - 2022)

News

No aspect of this or any advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. For ranking methodologies, please see here. 

Articles

Events

Speaking Engagements

  • "Scrambling for Answers: Navigating Ethics in the Age of Emerging Tech," Porzio's 8th Annual Ethics & Eggs CLE Seminar, 12/05/2024
  • "Navigating the Corporate Transparency Act and New York LLC Transparency Act – Practical Considerations," CELESQ, 11/26/2024
  • "SECURE Act 2.0 and Important Tax Updates for 2025," East Bay Trust & Estates Lawyers Fifteenth Annual Lunch, 11/15/2024
  • "The IRS Is At It Again!," 2024 National Conference on Special Needs Planning and Special Needs Trusts, 10/16/2024
  • "Orange is the New Tax," 16th Annual Porzio Employment Law Forum, 10/01/2024
  • "Washington Update," Estate Planning Council of Northern New Jersey, 9/27/2024
  • "Corporate Transparency Act - Law and Compliance," Greater Middlesex Somerset County Estate Planning Council, 9/19/2024
  • "Corporate Transparency Act," New Jersey State Bar Association, 2024 Elder and Disability Law Symposium, 9/10/2024
  • "Corporate Transparency Act (for all LLCs, Corporations, and LPs) Are the clients in compliance, and are you?" National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) Online Annual Conference, 9/04/2024
  • "Dealing with IRS Criminal Enforcement and Tax Issues in Divorce," Academy for Continuing Professional Education, 9/03/2024
  • "Corporate Transparency Act (for all LLCs, Corporations, and LPs) Are the clients in compliance, and are you?" National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) Annual Conference, 5/03/2024
  • "Organizational Management Issues, Reputational Risks, and Creating a Purposeful Corporate Culture," Porzio's Seventh Annual Ethics & Eggs CLE Seminar, 12/07/2023
  • "Revenue Ruling 2023-2: Setting the Record Straight," National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), 11/14/2023
  • "Retool Your Practice – Will Drafting Fundamentals," New Jersey State Bar Association, 11/09/2023
  • "The Tax "Ins and Outs" of Gifting," Tax Intensive - Stetson Law 2023 National Conference on Special Needs Planning and Special Needs, 10/18/2023
  • "Income Tax Considerations for the Year of Death," Tax Intensive - Stetson Law 2023 National Conference on Special Needs Planning and Special Needs, 10/18/2023
  • "Cool Tips & Tricks to Help Your Clients Save on Taxes and Increase Your Bottom Line," 2023 National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Summit , 3/10/2023
  • "Wage Issues in the Modern Economy," Porzio Employment Law Forum, 11/02/2022
  • "A Whole New World - Taxation of Cryptocurrency and Other Digital Assets," Stetson's Annual National Conference on Special Needs Planning and Special Needs Trusts, 10/12/2022
  • "No Kidding – the "Kiddie Tax" Bites," Stetson's Annual National Conference on Special Needs Planning and Special Needs Trusts, 10/12/2022
  • "Medicaid 201: Planning for Long Term Care Costs," Porzio Webinar, 4/09/2021
  • "Medicaid 101: When You Need Long Term Care," Porzio Webinar, 3/12/2021
  • "When You Are Suddenly Alone – The First Year Following Change," Porzio Webinar, 2/12/2021
  • "Clutter Clearance and Financial Housekeeping  – Supporting Wellbeing and Aging in Place," Porzio Webinar, 1/08/2021
  • "Memory Issues in Aging – Medical and Legal Perspectives," Porzio Webinar, 12/11/2020
  • "Planning for Parents of Gen Z" Porzio Webinar, 11/13/2020
  • Speaker, "CEOs, Wives, Mothers, Daughters: Legal Planning for Our Roles in Life," New Jersey Business Association's Women Business Leaders Council, 10/23/2020
  • ​​​​​​"Medicare 101: Maximizing Your or Your Loved One's Health Care in Retirement?" Porzio Webinar, 10/09/2020
  • "Protecting your Assets, Wealth Planning and Charitable Giving," Webinar, Montclair State University, 9/16/2020
  • "What does a Trustee REALLY do?" Porzio Webinar, 9/11/2020
  • "Supporting An Aging Loved One – The Intersection of Elder Care and Elder Law", Porzio Webinar, 8/14/2020
  • "Graying Marriage and Divorce: Special Considerations for Marriage and Divorce Over 60", Porzio Webinar, 7/10/2020
  • "Will Drafting Fundamentals", NJICLE Webcast, 4/29/2020
  • ​​​"New Jersey Employer Action Guide," Morris County Chamber Of Commerce Webinar, 4/14/2020
  • "GDPR and Ethical Considerations Related to Privacy," Ethics & Eggs, Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, P.C., 11/22/2019
  • "Best Practices In Managing Vendor Access To Confidential Data," Porzio Employment Law Forum, 10/03/2018
  • "Estate Planning for Unusual Assets," and "Multi-Jurisdiction Estate Planning," NJICLE, Summer CLEfest- Tax & Estate Planning Track, 8/10/2018
  • "Hot Topics: Sexual Harassment in the Workplace," NJCPA Webinar, 7/12/2018
  • "Sexual Harassment," Morris County Chamber of Commerce Not For Profit Roundtable, 6/21/2018
  • "Data Privacy & CyberSecurity: Practical Steps to Protect Your School," New Jersey Association of School Administrators, 5/23/2018
  • "A Lifetime of Support: Planning for a Family Member Who Has Special Needs," Randolph Township Library, 2/06/2018

Media Mentions

Prior Relevant Experience

  • Business Consultant, Prudential Financial - Estate Planning, Business Planning and Retirement Planning Group