Richard L. "Rich" Johnson

Rich’s practice focuses on businesses and individuals in disputes with the Internal Revenue Service and the Washington State Department of Revenue. Prior to joining Helsell Fetterman, Rich was a partner at LeSourd & Patten.

In addition to his practice, Rich teaches a course in federal tax procedure in the Masters of Science in Taxation (MSTax) program at the University of Washington, Michael G. Foster School of Business.

Typical cases include:

• Representing taxpayers in audits and appeals
• Including the examination stage, protesting proposed adjustments to the IRS Office of Appeals, and filing petitions to the United States Tax Court
• Representing tax return preparers in protesting return preparer penalties
• Challenging federal trust fund recovery penalty assessments (unpaid federal employment taxes)
• General tax collection matters such as penalty abatement, offers in compromise, installment agreements, and resolving lien, levy, and garnishment issues
• Protesting Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR) audit determinations for in-state and out-of-state taxpayers (including business & occupation tax, sales tax, use tax, cigarette & tobacco taxes); including representing taxpayers accused of using sales suppression (zapper) software
• Appealing Washington DOR trust fund accountability assessments (collected and unpaid sales tax)

• Washington State Bar Association Taxation Section
  • Communications Chair - current
  • Tax Section Chair - October 2018 to September 2019
  • Tax Section Executive Committee - 2013 to Current

• Best Lawyers in America / US News Best Lawyers, Tax Law: 2010 - 2023
• Super Lawyers: 2018 - 2023
• Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Tax Law: 2011 - 2016

• Washington State
• United States Tax Court
• United States District Court For the Western District of Washington
• United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit