Kevin P. Ellis, CPA works with trust and estate attorneys and family law attorneys across New York and Long Island as a referral partner for specialized accounting and financial analysis. Whether your client needs a fiduciary accounting, estate tax return, or divorce-focused financial analysis, you can refer them to a CPA whose work is built around these matters.

These are two distinct practice areas with different needs. Please select the section that best fits your practice.

For Trust and Estate Attorneys: Fiduciary Accounting and Tax Done Right

Trust and estate accounting is a core focus of my practice—not an add-on to a general bookkeeping or small-business tax service. I work in this area every day and understand the terminology, documentation, deadlines, and level of precision your matters require.

When you refer a trust or estate client, I can assist with:

• Fiduciary accountings: Prepared in accordance with the New York EPTL and formatted for Surrogate’s Court when needed, including schedules, charges and credits, and proper separation of principal and income.
• Form 1041 trust and estate income tax returns: Federal and required New York companion filings prepared together to help prevent gaps between state and federal reporting.
• Form ET-706 New York estate tax returns: Including analysis of the estate-tax cliff provision and its potential implications for the taxable estate.
• Coordination with your legal timeline: Estate administration has court schedules, filing requirements, and distribution deadlines. I plan the accounting work with those milestones in mind.

Attorneys in my referral network rely on work that is accurate, timely, and presented in a way that reflects well on their practice. That is the standard I bring to every engagement.

For Family Law Attorneys: Financial Clarity Before Settlement

Family law clients often need guidance on taxes, asset division strategy, and the long-term consequences of proposed settlement terms. Those questions are essential to a client’s decision-making, but they may fall outside the scope of legal advice.

Kevin P. Ellis, CPA provides financial analysis designed to help divorce clients understand the numbers before they sign an agreement. Services include:

• Asset division analysis: Identifying and valuing marital and separate property, then comparing distribution scenarios so the client can better understand the proposed outcome.
• Spousal support and maintenance analysis: Projecting the financial and tax impact of proposed maintenance arrangements before terms are finalized.
• Divorce tax planning: Evaluating the tax consequences of settlement terms so clients have fewer surprises after the agreement is executed.

The goal is not simply to produce a report. It is to give your client understandable financial context at a point when they need it most.

Schedule a Referral Consultation

Careful Support for Clients in Difficult Moments

Divorce financial analysis is personal as well as technical. The clients you refer may be navigating one of the most difficult periods of their lives. I approach those conversations with care, patience, and respect—not just a spreadsheet and a document request.

Your client receives a thoughtful explanation of the analysis and the assumptions behind it. Attorneys can refer with confidence that the client interaction will be handled with the same professionalism and consideration they expect from their own practice.

Available for Expert Witness Testimony

When a divorce matter proceeds to a hearing, I am available to serve as an expert witness on asset division and spousal support or maintenance matters. The analysis is prepared to be organized, documented, and defensible. If testimony becomes necessary, the same CPA who performed the financial work can explain and support it in the room.

When litigation is anticipated, early involvement can help ensure the analysis is structured appropriately from the outset.

Schedule a Referral Consultation

What to Expect From a Referral

Not every referral follows the same process. Setting expectations early helps create a smoother experience for the attorney, client, and CPA.

• Tax return referrals: These are typically the most straightforward. The client provides documents, the return is prepared, questions are addressed, and the filing is completed on a predictable timeline.
• Fiduciary accounting referrals: These usually require more coordination. Estate records may be incomplete, transactions may need to be reconstructed, and the work often must align with court or distribution milestones.
• Divorce financial analysis referrals: These are generally the most hands-on. Settlement proposals can evolve, information may arrive in stages, and the client often needs multiple conversations to understand the analysis and options.

The additional engagement is worthwhile, but it is helpful for clients to understand the process before the referral is made. My preference is to receive the right referral with clear expectations rather than create surprises later.

Why Attorneys Refer Clients to Kevin P. Ellis, CPA

Attorneys are not looking for a CPA who claims to do everything. They need a professional with concentrated experience in the work their clients need: trust and estate accounting, fiduciary tax compliance, estate tax analysis, and divorce financial analysis.

Clients work directly with me rather than being passed through layers of junior staff. That direct involvement supports clearer communication, greater continuity, and work that reflects the confidence you placed in me when you made the referral.

Schedule a Referral Consultation

Questions Attorneys Often Ask

Do you work with attorneys outside Long Island and New York City?

Yes. For trust and estate income tax returns, divorce financial analysis, and general tax preparation, I work with clients and their attorneys nationwide by phone and video. Matters tied specifically to New York law, including New York estate tax returns and Surrogate’s Court fiduciary accountings, are naturally New York-focused.

What do you need from the referring attorney to get started?

A formal referral packet is not necessary. For fiduciary accounting or estate tax work, a brief overview of the estate structure and relevant timeline is helpful. For divorce analysis, it is useful to know whether the matter involves asset division, support analysis, or both. A short email or call is enough to begin the conversation.

Do you communicate directly with the client?

Yes. Once the introduction is made, I work directly with the referred client. I keep counsel informed of material matters affecting the legal engagement while avoiding unnecessary routine communication through the attorney’s office.

Can you testify if a divorce matter goes to hearing?

Yes. I am available to testify regarding asset division and spousal support or maintenance matters. If litigation is anticipated, let me know early so the analysis can be structured with that possibility in mind.

How do you handle the sensitivity of divorce referrals?

Carefully and respectfully. The objective is to give clients clarity about their financial position and the process ahead without adding to the stress they are already experiencing. The client experience matters just as much as the analysis itself.

Schedule a Referral Consultation