Elizabeth Shwiff

Elizabeth Shwiff has more than three decades of experience in CPA and financial services practice. Her vast professional experience, in-born problem solving, and deep passion for finding the truth have earned her a reputation for tenacious client representation at various entities ranging from the IRS to the Franchise Tax Board to the U.S. Department of Treasury to foreign governments.

She is also an expert in linguistics, fluent in English, German, Russian, and Yiddish, and has worked worldwide for the U.S. State Department. She taught English, German, and Russian at junior high school, high school, and university levels from 1974 to 1978.

Between 1978 and 1995, Elizabeth worked for various companies in different capacities, including Tax Accountant, Senior Tax Administrator, Investment Officer, and Director of Business Development. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Languages from Indiana University Bloomington in 1970 and a Master of Arts in Languages from UCLA in 1972.

She also holds a Master’s degree in Accounting and Taxation from Indiana University - Kelley School of Business and a Master of Science in Taxation from Golden State University. In 1989, with a mission to deliver the highest value, top-level expertise, and exceptional service, Elizabeth founded Shwiff, Levy & Polo, LLP, a CPA firm specializing in providing professional tax advice to clients from various industries.

As the firm’s founder and director of practice development, Elizabeth has gone above and beyond to ensure the firm is one of the industry’s best in assisting clients in tackling their various business, financial, and taxation issues.

She has seen the firm grow to 12 professionals, earning it the distinction of being number 60 in the Bay Area’s "Top 150 Fastest Growing Private Companies" annual ranking for 1999. Thanks to Elizabeth, Shwiff, Levy & Polo, LLP has successfully gone through some of the most challenging transitions involving partnership dissolutions, merges, and de-mergers.

In 1996, she helped a family law attorney with a series of tax support engagements for divorce mediation. Two years later, she enrolled for the formal study of the mediation procedures and became a mediator for the San Francisco Office of Citizen's Complaints and the San Francisco Community Boards dealing with a wide range of disputes. She also began volunteering for the Bar Association of San Francisco as a trained mediator and arbitrator.