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Brett Durbin Photo

Brett

Brett Durbin
Shareholder
Seattle
D 206.223.7041
C 206.920.0688
durbinb@lanepowell.com

Brett Durbin counsels clients on state and local tax issues spanning both transactional and litigation matters, including general business planning and representing clients before the Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR) and Washington State Board of Tax Appeals.  

Brett’s experience includes serving as the Assistant Attorney General for the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, where he represented the DOR in the assessment of state and local taxes. He also managed all phases of litigation from risk assessment through discovery to appellate briefing and argument.

Professional Experience

Lane Powell PC

  • Shareholder (2021-Present)
  • Counsel to the Firm (2019-2021)

Stoel Rives LLP, Of Counsel (2016-2019)

Riddell Williams, P.S., Of Counsel (2013-2016)

Washington State Attorney General’s Office, Assistant Attorney General (2005-2013)

Kathy and Steve Berman Environmental Law Clinic, Legal Intern (2003-2004)

Strategic Asset Alliance, Financial Information Systems Coordinator and Financial Analyst (2001-2002)

Community Involvement

Washington State Bar Association

  • Secretary, Tax Council
  • State & Local Tax Committee
  • Chair, Legislative Committee

American Bar Association, Tax Section

  • State & Local Tax Executive Committee
  • Co-Chair, Model Tax Tribunal Taskforce
  • Co-Chair, Website Committee

Institute for Professionals in Taxation

 

Thought Leadership

  • January 9, 2023Publication
    Washington Legal Decision Creates an Opportunity to Evaluate Your R&D Expenses
    Tax Legal Update
  • October 28, 2022Publication
    One More Tax Filing Is Due Before You Go Trick-or-Treating
    Tax Legal Update
  • August 18, 2022News

    The Best Lawyers in America© 2023 Recognizes 90 Lane Powell Attorneys

    Awards & Honors
  • August 11, 2022Event / CLE
    The Final Word
    Washington State Tax Conference | Pullman, Washington
  • August 19, 2021News
    The Best Lawyers in America© 2022 Recognizes 90 Lane Powell Attorneys
    Awards & Honors
  • June 17, 2021Publication
    JumpStart Seattle Payroll Tax Upheld
    Tax Legal Update
  • January 1, 2021News
    Lane Powell Elects New Shareholders and Counsel to the Firm
    Firm Announcement
  • August 20, 2020News
    The Best Lawyers in America© 2021 Recognizes 92 Lane Powell Attorneys
    Awards & Honors
  • July 22-24, 2020Event / CLE
    Indirect State Tax
    Council On State Taxation | Webinar
  • July 10, 2020Publication
    New Seattle Jobs Tax May Jump Start an Exodus of Jobs Out of the City — But It Also Creates Planning Opportunities
    Tax Legal Update
  • May 14, 2020Publication
    Are Coronavirus Relief Payments Subject to Washington State’s B&O Tax? Not So Far, but the Other Shoe Has Not Dropped Yet!
    COVID-19 Resource
  • April 2, 2020Publication
    Washington DOR Response to COVID-19: What You Need to Know About Tax Due Dates & Extensions
    COVID-19 Resource
  • March 18, 2020Publication
    Tax Traps and Opportunities From Employers Requiring Employees to Work From Home
    COVID-19 Resource
  • July 16, 2019Event / CLE
    Grasping the Last Straw: Litigating Tax Issues in Washington State
    Washington State Tax Conference | Pullman, Washington
  • April 30, 2019Event / CLE
    Gross Receipts Taxes: Are They Spreading?
    Council On State Taxation Spring Audit Session & Income Tax Conference | Denver
  • April 29, 2019Publication
    Washington State Legislature Passes Massive Tax Increases
    Tax Legal Update
  • January 10, 2019News
    Durbin Joins Lane Powell Tax Team
    Firm Announcement
  • November 16, 2018Event / CLE
    Washington B&O Tax Updates; National State Tax Cases and Issues; and Best Practices for Handling State Tax Disputes
    Council On State Taxation Pacific Northwest Regional State Tax Seminar | Portland, Oregon
  • February 1, 2018Event / CLE
    State and Local Tax Update
    Tax Executives Institute, Inc. Alaska Chapter Meeting | Anchorage, Alaska
  • March 22, 2017Event / CLE
    Sales Tax Issues in the Shared Economy
    American Bar Association and Institute for Professionals in Taxation Advanced Tax Seminars | New Orleans
  • December 6, 2016Event / CLE
    SALT Litigation: What to Know and How to Be Prepared to Win
    Council On State Taxation Pacific Northwest Regional State Tax Seminar | Seattle
  • June 15, 2015Event / CLE
    Tax Appeals in Washington
    Washington State Society of CPA’s Washington Tax Conference | Seattle
  • April 29, 2015Event / CLE
    Washington Tax Controversies and Taxpayer Rights
    Institute for Professionals in Taxation Seattle Chapter Meeting | Seattle
  • Award_2023 Best Lawyer of the Year
  • Awards_2023 Best Lawyers America

Practices & Industries

  • Tax

Education

  • University of Washington School of Law, J.D., 2004
  • Western Washington University, B.A., Business Administration - Finance, 2001
    • Honors Program

Admissions

  • Washington
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington

Honors

The Best Lawyers in America©, Litigation and Controversy – Tax, Tax (2021-2023)

"Seattle Lawyer of the Year,” Best Lawyers®, Litigation and Controversy – Tax (2023)

Excellence Award, Institute for Professionals in Taxation

Before proceeding, please note:  If you are not a current client of Lane Powell PC, please do not include any information in this email that you or someone else considers to be confidential or secret in nature.  Prior to the establishment of a lawyer-client relationship, unsolicited emails from non-clients containing confidential or secret information cannot be protected from disclosure.

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