Kenneth J. Pia, Jr.

About Kenneth

Kenneth J. Pia, Jr. is a partner and the leader of the National Matrimonial and Business Valuation groups. With more than 30 years of professional business valuation and litigation support experience. Mr. Pia has developed a national reputation working on a wide range of complex valuation engagements. He has performed valuations of businesses and partial business interests for a variety of purposes including, but not limited to, family law matters, employee stock ownership plans, business damages, buy-sell agreements, shareholder litigation, estate and gift tax matters, and buying and selling businesses. Additional valuation services include reasonable compensation analysis for tax and non-tax assignments. Mr. Pia’s experience with matrimonial cases also includes forensic accounting, reasonable compensation analysis, tracing analysis, lifestyle analysis, and other tax and accounting issues related to divorce.

Mr. Pia is heavily involved with the American Society of Appraisers (ASA), the renowned international organization devoted to the appraisal profession. He is the immediate past Chair of the ASA’s Business Valuation Committee, is a member of the National Business Valuation Education Committee, and teaches nationally for the ASA’s accreditation program. Mr. Pia is also a Co-Chair of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation’s Forensic & Business Valuation Division and has been named to the American Academy for Certified Financial Litigators Advisory Board for New York and Connecticut.

Mr. Pia is a frequent speaker on business valuation topics on national and local levels for numerous professional organizations, including the American Bar Association, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and National Center for Employee Ownership. In addition to teaching for the ASA’s accreditation program, he previously instructed for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Certificate of Educational Achievement (CEA) program in business valuation. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Quinnipiac University. Mr. Pia has technically reviewed publications on divorce finance and taxation for the American Bar Association, as well as several books on business valuation. In 2007, he was appointed as one of two appraisers to the State of Connecticut’s Eminent Domain Task Force, established to determine the methodologies to be used in the calculation of lost economic intangible value of businesses due to the state exercising domain rights.

Mr. Pia has been qualified as an expert witness in Federal District Court and the State Courts of Connecticut, Florida, New York, California, Hawaii, Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Commonwealth of Virginia, as well as various arbitration proceedings. He has also rendered extensive services relating to court testimony. Mr. Pia is on the State of New York Courts’ list to receive court appointments in the following counties: New York, Kings, Richmond, Queens, Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester. He has received Court appointments in New York and Connecticut.

Mr. Pia has also successfully worked through the mediation and settlement process in most of his cases. He has also served as a mediator on complex valuation issues and as a Special Business Valuation Master to mediators in complex financial cases.

Professional & Civic Affiliations

• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
• Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants (CTCPA)
  • Valuation, Forensic, and Litigation Support Group, Past Member
  • Committee on Liaison with the Bar, Past Chair
  • Advisory Council, Past Appointee
  • Federal Income Taxation Committee, Past Member
• American Society of Appraisers (ASA) –
  • Business Valuation Discipline Committee, Member Executive Committee
  • National Business Valuation Education Committee, Member
• Connecticut Chapter of American Society of Appraisers
  • Past President; Past Vice President
  • Business Valuation Committee, Past Chair
• American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) Foundation, Forensic & Business – Valuation Division; Charter Member
• AAML Foundation, Forensic & Business Valuation Committee, Co-Chair
• American Academy for Certified Financial Litigators (AACFL)
  • Advisory Board for Connecticut and New York, Member
• The ESOP Association
• National Center for Employee Ownership
• Quinnipiac University, Adjunct Professor – Created and has taught the Finance course: Private Company Valuation
• National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA) – Advisory Board, Past Member

Articles, Seminars & Presentations

• “Co-Ownership of Business After Divorce” American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Northern California Chapter Annual Symposium, May 2024
• “Dealing with the Now-Untangled Start -Up and Complex Businesses,” American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Mid-Year Meeting, March 2024
• “Hedge Fund and Private Equity Valuation for Family Law Practitioners,” American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Southern California Chapter Meeting, February 2024
• “Power Panel: Trends and Issues in Business Valuation,” Business Valuation Resources, February 2024
• “ESOP Litigation: A New Hope,” American Society of Appraisers, Litigation in Valuation Conference, November 2023
• “Recent Trends and Relevant Case Decisions – Matrimonial,” American Society of Appraisers, Litigation in Valuation Conference, November 2023
• “Top 10 Divorce Valuation Hot Topics,” American Society of Appraisers, International Conference, October 2023
• “Trying Your Financial Case,” American Bar Association, October 2023
• “The Intersection of ESOP Transactions and Litigation – Be Prepared,” Marcum LLP, September 2023
• “Creative Settlement Strategies,” American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Connecticut Chapter Meeting, April 2023
• “Personal Goodwill Hunting,” Connecticut State Bar Association Family Law Section, Chapter Meeting, February 2023
• “Goodwill Conundrums in Family Law,” American Society of Appraisers Conference, September 2022
• “Fundamentals of Preparing and Presenting Financial Evidence at Trial,” American Bar Association, Family Law Section Spring CLE, April 2022
• “The Anatomy of a DOL ESOP Investigation and Lawsuit and the Related Valuation Issues,” American Society of Appraisers, February 2022
• “Landmark ESOP Ruling: Inside the Walsh v. Bowers Case with the DOL,” Business Valuation Resources Webinar, November 2021
• “Untangling the Web of Complex and Start-Up Businesses,” American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, November 2021
• “Valuation and Other Considerations Due to COVID: Past, Present & Future,” American Society of Appraisers, Annual International Conference, October 2021
• “Don’t Let Your Deposition Become a Mad Tea Party,” American Bar Association Family Law Section, Fall CLE Conference, October 2021
• “Best Practices: Tips in a Post Pandemic Era,” CTCPA VFLS Group, September 2021
• “ESOPs: A Hotly Trending Exit Option for Construction Companies in 2021,” Marcum, July 2021
• “The Impact of COVID-19 on Business Valuation – A COVID Year Later,” Marcum, July 2021
• “Business Valuation and Labor and Employment Law, American Bar Association,” June 2021
• “Business Valuation Basics, Supreme Court of the State of New York,” June 2021
• “Business Valuations – What’s the Future for Intangible Asset Valuations?, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Global Valuation Conference, April 2021
• “Best Practices: Tips in BVFLS in a Post Pandemic Era,” American Society of Appraisers (ASA), April 2021
• “Resolving Matrimonial Cases in a Virtual Environment, Trial, Mediation, Settlement Discussions – What Works Best,” Marcum 2021 Webinar Series, March 2021
• “Power Panel: Live Expert Answers for Today’s Tough BV Questions,” Business Valuation Resources (BVR), January 2021
• “10 Common Errors in Valuations and How to Effectively Cross-Examine These Issues,” American Bar Association (ABA), November 2020
• “Building the Future During COVID-19: A Financial Advisor’s Perspective,” National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP), November 2020
• “10 Common Errors in Valuations and How to Effectively Cross-Examine These Issues,” New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), October 2020
• “New Reality: 2020 and the Life-Changing Impact on Attorneys, Financial Experts and Our Clients, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) and Business Valuation Resources (BVR) Divorce Conference,” September 2020
• “Taxes, Hedge Funds and Private Equity – What to Know During the Divorce Process,” Marcum Matrimonial Webinar Series, September 2020
• “ASA Amicus Brief: Valuation Issues in ESOP Litigation,” American Society of Appraisers, August 2020
• “The Impact of COVID-19 on The Value of a Business,” Hartford County Bar Association, May 2020
• “The Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on Family Law Practice: Business Issues,” Fairfield County Bar Association, Co-panelist, April 2020
• “How Might the Value of your Business be Impacted as a Result of the Coronavirus Crisis?,” Co-presented with Daniel Roche, William Scally, Marcum, March 2020
• “Professional Judgment in Valuations of Early Stage Companies (and where to look for it in a valuation report),” Connecticut Bar Association Family Law Section Meeting, New Haven, Connecticut, November 2019
• “How to be a Great Marketer,” 2019 Marcum Valuation and Litigation Support CPE Conference, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, October 2019
• “How to be a Great Testifying Expert,” 2019 Marcum Valuation and Litigation Support CPE Conference, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, October 2019
• “Autopsy of the Forensic Report – Deposing the Financial Expert,” American Bar Association, Austin, Texas, September, 2019
• “What Experts Need to Know: A View from the Bar and the Bench,” 2019 American Society of Appraisers Advanced Business Valuation, Conference, New York, New York, August, 2019
• “Finding Chips and Seeds – The Valuation Expert’s Use of Other Experts/Consultants,” NYAAML CLE Seminar, NY, May 2019
• “Getting Whacked – Discount and Capitalization Rates,” NYAAML CLE Seminar, NY, May 2019
• ” Exit Planning Exchange – A Tax-favored Liquidity and Succession Strategy,” UBS Financial Services, Inc., the Hartford Club, Hartford, CT, December 2018
• “Control v. Non-Controlling Level of Value,” Marcum ESOP Advisor, October 2018
• “Fair Market Value or Fair Market Value?,” Joint ASA Advance Business Valuation and International Appraisers Conference, Anaheim, CA, October 2018
• “Do ESOPs and Construction Companies Mix?,” 2018 Marcum New England Construction Summit, New Haven, CT, September 2018
• “ESOP Valuations – Fair Market Value or Fair Market Value?,” 2018 Joint ASA Advanced Business Valuation and International Appraisers Conference, Anaheim, CA, September 2018
• “The Role of IRS Revenue Rulings and Tax Court Cases in Business Valuation,” ASA Webinar, September 2018
• “Do ESOPs and Construction Companies Mix?,” Engineering News Record, Webinar, New Haven, CT, June 2018
• “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) – Summary of New Tax Provisions Including the Potential Effect on Business Valuations,” New York Bar Association, New York City, June 2018
• “ABA: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) Summary of New Tax Provisions Including the Potential Effect on Business Valuations,” Nashville, Tennessee, May 2018
• “Judicial Panel Event: Divorce and the New Tax Law, Strategies and opportunities for divorcing couples,” New York City Bar Association, New York City, NY, April 2018

Books (Author/Technical Reviewer)

• Contributing co-author and Editor – Shannon Pratt’s The Lawyer’s Business Valuation Handbook: Understanding Financial Statements, Appraisal Reports, and Expert Testimony, 3^rd Edition, Shannon Pratt and ASA Educational Foundation, ABA Book Publishing, August 2024
• Contributing co-author – Lessons from Recent ESOP Litigation, Corey Rosen, Bryan Fleming, Mitchell Miller, Kenneth J. Pia, and Patrice Radogna, March 2023, National Center for Employee Ownership
• Contributing author, publishing committee and technical reviewer – Valuing a Business, 6th Edition: The Analysis and Appraisal of Closely Held Companies, Shannon P. Pratt, ASA Educational Foundation, April 2022, McGraw Hill.
• Technical reviewer – Taxes and Value: The Ongoing Research and Analysis Relating to the S Corporation Valuation Puzzle, Nancy Fannon and Keith Sellers, April 2015, Business Valuation Resources.
• Technical reviewer – Standards of Value, Theory and Applications, Second Edition, Jay E. Fishman, Shannon P. Pratt, and William J. Morrison, April 2013, John Wiley & Sons Inc.