• Business Law
• Real Property Law
• Tax Law including capital gains tax, sales tax & charitable contributions
• Appraisal Law all related to the asset management of business and tangible personal property

Legal Areas of Emphasis

Berus Law Group offers legal assistance in all aspects of Art and Collectible law, providing unique experience to clients with unique property.  This includes expertise in personal property, valuation, sales and use tax, UCC, business, contracts, estate planning, estate tax, and charitable contributions related to tangible property. We provide specialized assistance in the decision making process as well as transactional assistance in carrying out those decisions in order to maximize value and minimize taxes and expenses in the asset management of tangible personal property such as art, antiques, jewelry, silver, porcelain, sports memorabilia, historic memorabilia, wine collections, classic cars, books, manuscripts, stamps, coins, classic cars and all other forms of tangible property. 

Joy Berus assists collectors, investors, dealers, museums and artists in acquisitions, sales, consignments, valuations, charitable contributions, trust provisions, charitable trust provisions, LLC holding companies, loans to museums, loans using art as collateral loans, collection management, collection estate planning, copyright, license agreements, historical property both real and personal, and other such personal property assets.

Her clients include collectors, historical property owners, celebrities, artists, appraisers, gallery owners, and museums.

· Author and quoted contributor on “Tips on Donating Art for the Donor,”

CBS Marketwatch Retirement Newsletter

· Author and quoted contributor on “Tips on Donating Art for the Donor,”

Investor’s Business Daily, Investors.com

· Author and quoted contributor on “Donating Art: Ten Tips Every Planner Should Know,” Planned Giving Design Center, PGDC.com

· Author and quoted contributor “Tips on Donating Art for the Professional”, Steve Leimberg’s Charitable Planning Newsletter, 55

· Author and quoted contributor "The Art and Collectibles Capital Gains Tax Treatment Parity Act,"

Steve Leimberg's Charitable Planning Newsletter, 89

· Author “The Art of Donating Art: The Charitable Contribution of Art, Antiques and Collectibles,” The Journal of Practical Estate Planning, April-May 2008, a CCH Publication

· Author “The Art of Donating Art: The Charitable Contribution of Art, Antiques and Collectibles,” The Journal of Retirement Planning, September-October 2008, a CCH Publication

· Author “The Art of Valuation of Art, Antiques and Collectibles in an Estate,” The Journal of Practical Estate Planning, December 2008–January 2009, a CCH Publication.

· Author “The Art of Donating Art” Heritage Auction Galleries Trusts & Estates Newsletter, 2nd Quarter 2010

· Author, the chapter; “The Role of the Personal Property Appraiser in Charitable Contribution Appraisals,” in the textbook, “The Appraisal of Personal Property - Principles, Theories, and Practice Methods for the Professional Appraiser,” 2011

· Quoted Contributor, Forbes Magazine 

o http://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleaebeling/2014/09/24/big-art-collector-tax-win-in-fifth-circuit/

o http://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleaebeling/2011/06/17/an-art-lesson-courtesy-of-billionaire-sam-zell/

o http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0627/money-guide-11-retirement-downsizing-appraisal-going-gone.html

o http://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleaebeling/2011/05/19/10-tips-for-downsizers-with-too-much-stuff/

Teaching/Adjunct Professor

George Washington University, Washington, 

D.C. University of California, Irvine

American Society of Appraisers 

Speeches & Seminars

Ms. Berus has lectured extensively on the business of owning art and collections, art as an asset class, appraisal law, tax law and other art law topics to various bank and trust client groups, wealth and investment groups, non-profit organizations, donor advised fund groups, museums, the American Society of Appraisers, the IRS & ASA symposiums on IRS Personal Property Tax and Valuation Issues, lectured with Chief of IRS  Art Appraisal Services Karen Carolan, 2006, 2007, 2008, and various professional accounting, attorney and estate planning organizations.

University of San Francisco (B.S. 1984)

Western State University College of Law (J.D. 1991) 

American Jurisprudence Award, Legal Writing

Certification in Appraisal Studies in Fine and Decorative Arts, American Society of Appraisers 

State Bar of California

U.S. District Court, Southern District of California

U.S. District Court, Northern District of California

U.S. District Court, Central District of California

U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California Licensed Broker, State of California

Member, California Bar Association

Affiliate Member, American Society of Appraisers, 

Personal Property Affiliate & Friend, Appraisers Association of America

Member, California Lawyers for the Arts Member, ARTTABLE

Member of the Professional Advisors to the International Art Market (PAIAM) 

Member, Western Museums Association (WMA)

Member, American Alliance of Museums (AAM)

Member of the Board of Directors of VSA arts of California, 1995 – 2005

Member of the Board of Directors of Center Stars, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 2006 – 2010 

Member of the Advisory Board of Trov, Inc., 2013 - 2014

Member, Chubb Masterpiece Protection Network