Brett Durbin

Brett Durbin co-leads Ballard Spahr’s State and Local Tax team. He advises clients on state and local tax issues in business planning and transactional matters, and represents them before the Washington State Department of Revenue and the Washington State Board of Tax Appeals.

Brett previously served as an Assistant Attorney General with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, representing the Department of Revenue in the assessment of state and local taxes. In that role, he managed litigation from risk assessment and discovery through appellate briefing and argument.

Chambers USA has recognized Brett for his tax work. The Best Lawyers in America named him its 2023 “Seattle Lawyer of the Year” in tax litigation and controversy, and he has received the Institute for Professionals in Taxation’s Excellence Award.

• University of Washington School of Law (J.D. 2004)
• Western Washington University (B.A, 2001)
  Honors Program

• Washington
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington

• Excellence Award, Institute for Professionals in Taxation
• The Best Lawyers in America, "Seattle Lawyer of the Year," Litigation and Controversy – Tax, 2023
• Chambers USA, Tax (Washington), 2024-2026
• The Best Lawyers in America, Litigation and Controversy – Tax, Tax, 2021-2027

• 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