Overview
James Santivañez is a Partner within the Unclaimed Property and Escheatment Services Group at Aprio. With a fiercely independent and entrepreneurial spirit, James has led practices in the Big 4, the largest independent firms, and his own firm for the past two decades, helping clients across industries with unclaimed property and state/local tax matters. He specializes in unclaimed property compliance reviews designed to identify exposure, potential savings opportunities, process enhancements, and risk mitigation.
Experience
James works closely with companies that have high transactional volumes, including vendor payments, customer accounts receivable, account balances, and high employee turnover, regardless of their industry. In his practice, James designs and implements complex compliance solutions, negotiates amnesty and voluntary disclosure agreements to mitigate and resolve unclaimed property liabilities, and provides representation for third-party and state unclaimed property audits.
James is a staunch defender of client interests, providing representation for dozens of unclaimed property audits on behalf of clients in various industries. He excels in attention to and recollection of client-related details, analytical thinking and problem-solving, and obtaining the best results for clients within any jurisdiction through negotiation.
Education & Affiliations
James holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from Yale University and a JD in Corporate Law and Taxation from the American University Washington College of Law, where he represented and advocated client interests before the IRS. He is a member of the Unclaimed Property Professionals Organization and is involved in charitable activities, including DeMatha Catholic High School and several smaller charities primarily dedicated to children’s sports.
Insights
