Christopher Sam Manes

Christopher Sam Manes

4.2
Rating: 7.7

Licensed for 32 years

Tax Lawyer at Palm Desert, CA
Practice Areas: Tax, International Law, Trusts

34100 Gateway Drive, Suite 100, Palm Desert, CA

About Christopher

Biography

Practice Areas

3

Practice Areas

Tax 60%

My focus is on California residency tax cases and audits, residency tax planning, and appeals of California residence tax assessments. I have prevailed in dozens of residency audits and appeals, saving taxpayers millions of dollars in assessments

33 years | 200 cases

60%
International Law 30%

My expertise is in drafting cross-border trusts or other estate planning vehicles for foreign citizens owning real property or doing business in the US, as well as handling international probates, with a focus on Canada, Europe, India and Brazil

24 years | 100 cases

30%
Trusts 10%

I have been involved in all aspects of probate, including establishing estates and trusts, and litigating trust and estate disputes, as well as establishing trusts for non-US citizens holding US property.

33 years | 200 cases

10%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Hourly Rates

$ 500-500 per hour


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

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Licenses

Licensed in California for 32 years

State: California

Acquired: 1993

Active

No misconduct found

Location

Sanger & Manes, LLP

34100 Gateway Drive, Suite 100, Palm Desert, CA, 92262

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Christopher Sam Manes's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.2 /5.0

5 Client Reviews

5 star (4)
4 star (0)
3 star (0)
2 star (0)
1 star (1)

Posted by Bart | August 27, 2017 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Canadian Estate Planning

I am a Canadian, and Mr Manes assisted me and my wife in purchasing U.S. real estate, preparing a custom estate plan relating to the property designed to minimize our U.S. estate tax, while harmonizing with our Canadian estate plan. He demonstrated an expert knowledge of the Canada-U.S. Tax Treaty an...d how it affected our tax liability in both countries. He is clearly an expert in this difficult field and I have recommended him to my Canadian acquaintances who are purchasing U.S. vacation homes or making U.S. investments.

Posted by John Enders | February 10, 2017 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Residency Tax Expert

I own an online business in Colorado with customers all over the country, including California, where I own a vacation home. I retained Mr. Manes to assist me in setting up my business entities so I could work remotely for the California market without becoming a California resident and incurring it...s high income taxes. Mr. Manes efficiently and effectively assisted me in this goal. He provided superior legal advise for me and me businesses.

Posted by Doug | April 12, 2014

Superior Cross-Border Tax Attorney

The Sanger & Manes firm provided me with superior advice in handling cross-border tax advice (I am a Canadian), helping me prevail a California residency tax audit. I don’t think too many attorneys have the kind of knowledge that Chris does in dealing with the Franchise Tax Board.

Posted by Richard | February 14, 2014

Expert Representation In Two Cases

Christopher and his firm provided expert legal services on both trust litigation and tax problems for me. They showed the highest levels of professionalism (which is why they have the highest Martindale Hubbell rating of “AV”, a fact that convinced me to retain the firm). The tax issue was particu...larly complex and I doubt most firms could have handled it so efficiently. They kept me informed, and made sure I had enough information to make the major decisions in the cases. Most importantly they prevailed in both cases.

Posted by anonymous | January 9, 2012

Attorney keeps charging but with no results

This attorney constantly billed for his time, but didn't get results. I felt that all I was doing was constantly paying high invoices but not getting positive results. My case was going nowhere, so I changed attorneys and now my case is moving in a positive direction.

See All Client Reviews

Christopher Sam Manes's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Christopher
Robert Harlan Stempler headshot
Robert Stempler

Trusts lawyer | May 11

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I have known Christopher for many years and have a high regard for his understanding of the law and their complex interrelationships, which is very important for the areas of his law practice. I have also attended several presentations by Christopher and been very impressed."

View All Endorsements
Kevin Eugene Gallagher headshot
Kevin Gallagher

Criminal defense lawyer

Robert Harlan Stempler headshot
Robert Stempler

Lawsuits and disputes lawyer

Experience

Rating:  7.7 (Very Good)

Honors

2002

Maggie Award for opinion piece on legal matters, California Lawyer Magazine

Associations

2017 - Present

Greenroom Theatre Company

Board of Directors

2017 - Present

Global Citizen

Sponsor

Education

1992

University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1989

University of Oregon

1987

University of Reykjavik, Iceland

Fulbright Scholar

1981

University of Wisconsin, Madison

MA - Masters

1980

University of California at Los Angeles

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Publications

Avvo Rating

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Avvo Rating Levels
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