Katz Viola Lebenhart & Mauro merges with Lipner Sofferman

A pair of Long Island accounting firms, Katz Viola Lebenhart & Mauro LLP and Lipner, Sofferman & Co. LLP, have merged to form KVLSM LLP.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but as part of the deal, Lipner Sofferman relocated from Jericho to Woodbury, New York, on Dec. 1, 2017.

Katz Viola Lebenhart & Mauro formed last year as part of a rebranding effort. It was formerly known as Sanders Thaler Viola & Katz. In 2014, Sanders Thaler merged in the practice of Eliot H. Lebenhart CPA PC in Plainview, enabling the firm to expand by providing tax, accounting and business management services to the medical, sports, and entertainment industries.

KVLSM services various industries, including fashion, entertainment, restaurant, automotive, technology and retail businesses. Its services include financial statement preparation, audit services, mergers and acquisitions, estate and trust consulting, tax preparation, IRS representation, cash flow and budget analysis, financial and retirement planning, and CFO services.

The combined firm has seven partners, including four from Katz Viola Lebenhart & Mauro and three from Lipner Sofferman.

Michael Katz, managing partner of KVLSM (and formerly of Katz Viola Lebenhart & Mauro), is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the firm and overseeing the staff. He has over 25 years of experience in the accounting profession.

Partner Eliot Lebenhart worked at various CPA firms that provided tax services to the sports and entertainment industries. In 1983, he formed his own firm in Plainview, New York, which concentrated in the fields of fashion modeling, entertainment, and sports. He later developed a practice in the medical field.

Among the other partners, Jay Lipner has more than 30 years of experience in the accounting industry, and Kenneth Lipner is a third-generation CPA with over 30 years of audit and tax experience. Robert Mauro joined Sanders Thaler in 2013, and in November 2017, he became a partner when the firm changed its name, while Randy Sofferman was one of the founding partners of Lipner Sofferman. Anthony Viola has over 35 years of experience in the accounting industry.

“It is wonderful to have two accounting firms become one entity and service a wide variety of industries like never before,” Viola said in a statement. “This merger will also allow us to expand our services to a growing, more diverse clientele. It is wonderful to see these two firms come together and continue to provide an exceptional level of service for our clients.”

Front row (left to right): Anthony J. Viola, Randy Sofferman and Kenneth Lipner. Back row: Robert J. Mauro, Michael D. Katz, Eliot H. Lebenhart and Jay Lipner.

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