Partner
D. Scott
Robinson
D. Scott Robinson is a tax attorney, who focuses his practice on trust and estate planning, tax planning, asset protection planning, trust and estate administration and closely-held business planning. Scott carries an AV® Preeminent™ rating and is known for his innovative and creative thinking. Scott thrives on complexity and is often called upon by fellow tax and trust and estate attorneys and other tax professionals to help find solutions to the “can’t be done” problems. Scott’s practice in both Wyoming and Colorado combined with his trust and tax law expertise enable him to incorporate the “best” multi-jurisdictional tools to accomplish his clients’ objectives.
Scott received a B.S. in Accounting, magna cum laude, from Southern Utah University in 1998, J.D. in 2002 and M.B.A. in 2003 from University of Wyoming and LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Denver in 2009. Scott has been admitted to practice before the U.S. Tax Court, the United States District Courts of Wyoming and Colorado and is licensed to practice law in Colorado and Wyoming.
Scott is a member of the Colorado Bar Association, Wyoming Bar Association, Boulder County Estate Planning Council and Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), the leading worldwide professional body for practitioners in the fields of trusts, estates and related matters.
Scott lives in Wyoming with his wife of 27 years, Amy. In his spare time, Scott enjoys spending time with his wife and children, hunting, fishing, backpacking and mountain biking.
Legal Assistant
EDUCATION & ADMISSIONS
LL.M. IN TAXATION
UNIVERSITY OF DENVER, 2009
MASTERS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING, 2003
JURIS DOCTOR
UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING, 2002
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
SOURTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY, 1998
U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
2010
Colorado
2005
U.S. Tax Court
2003
Wyoming
2003
U.S. District Court, District of Wyoming
2003
Professional Associations
Colorado Bar Association, Taxation Law Section
Colorado Bar Association, Trust & Estate Section
Wyoming Bar Association, Trust & Estate Section
American Bar Association, Taxation Section
American Bar Association, Real Property
American Bar Association, Trust and Estate Law Section
Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners – US
Boulder Estate Planning Council
Community Involvement
Legal Committee Member – The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County, Boulder, Colorado, January 2006 – July 2012
Scoutmaster – Boy Scouts of America, Troop 360, Mountain View District, Longs Peak Council, September 2010 – August 2012
Honors & Awards
Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2013
AV® Preeminent™, Martindale-Hubbell, since 2013
Publications & Appearances
Published Work
“Go West Young Man: The use of Wyoming as situs for cross-jurisdictional trusts”, Co-Author, GGI Newsletter, Geneva Group International, Autumn 2015
“Choice of Entity: The Versatile Limited Liability Company”, Council Notes, Trust & Estate Section, Colorado Bar Association, Spring 2012
Teaching & Speaking Engagements
“Qualified Personal Residence Trusts”, National Business Institute – Top Estate Planning Techniques, June 8, 2015
“Business Entities”, National Business Institute – Top Estate Planning Techniques, June 8, 2015
“Annual Exclusion Gifting”, National Business Institute – Top Estate Planning Techniques, June 8, 2015
“Business Succession Planning”, Co-Presenter, National Business Institute – Estate Planning from A to Z seminar, June 18, 2014
Visiting Professor (Full-Time), Courses taught: Income Taxation, Gift and Estate Taxation, Business Planning, Taxation of Business Entities, University of Wyoming College of Law, 2012 – 2013
AMG National Trust Bank Seminar, The Wyoming Advantage, June 17, 2013
“Wyoming’s Emergence as a Leading Trust Situs Jurisdiction”, First Western Trust Bank, Webinar, July 10, 2012
“Trust Situs Planning: Opportunities and Considerations”, 32nd Annual Estate Planning Retreat, Trust & Estate Section, Colorado Bar Association, Breckenridge, Colorado, June 8-9, 2012
“Giving After You’re Gone: A Primer on Estate Planning & Giving”, Panel Member, 65th Annual Conference on World Affairs, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, April 10, 2012
“Effective vs. Defective Asset Protection Tools”, National Business Institute, Continuing Legal Education Seminar, October 12, 2010
“Combining Leverage Opportunities and Family Business Succession Planning”, CLE Presentation, Privately Held Business Subsection, Business Law Section, Colorado Bar Association, April 23, 2009
“Stimulus, Stabilization, Recovery and Reinvestment: What the recent tax law changes mean to you”, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Longmont, Colorado, April 9, 2009
“Estate Planning with Qualified Retirement Plan Assets”, Luncheon Presentation, Boulder County Chapter of the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants, June 2006
“Wyoming Estate Planning Basics”, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, September 23, 2003
Lecturer, Operations and Production Management, University of Wyoming College of Business, Fall 2001
Scott’s Blog
UPDATED: COVID-19 IRS Tax Filing Relief: 90-Day Automatic Extension
On Saturday March 21, 2020, the Treasury Department and IRS issued Notice 2020-18, which extended the filing deadline for federal income taxes to July 15, 2020. This extension for filing is also automatic and taxpayers need not have to file for an extension on their...
COVID-19 IRS Tax Payment Relief: 90-Day Automatic Extension
On Wednesday March 18, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) released guidance regarding an automatic 90-day extension for federal tax payments via Notice 2020-17. The previous due date for making federal tax payments of April 15, 2020, has been moved instead to July...
IRS Form 1023 (Tax Exemption Application) Update
The Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) recently issued Rev. Proc. 2020-8, which seeks to make the transition away from the current paper filing system of Form 1023, Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, to,...
In the News
BizWest: Ruscitti Talks Force Majeure
Right now, Ruscitti said he’s telling clients to be ready to assert or defend force majeure and to document in detail how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting them. He’s also advising them not to panic and to remember that their companies are not the only ones dealing...
CEO’s from the Natural and Organic Product sector sit down for a BizWest CEO Roundtable
Boulder, CO - In partnership with BizWest, Plante Moran and Community Banks of Colorado, Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti hosted over 10 executives in the natural and organic industry for a CEO Roundtable to discuss the latest trends and challenges in the industry....
Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti Presents the Final DenX of the year…
Denver, CO - Nearly 160 women attended the final DenX of the year. In partnership with BusinessDen, a local business journal, the law firm has partnered in providing four all-women networking events in the Denver area. This partnership is a testament to our diversity...
Firm Happenings
COVID-19 Legal Insights | CO Evictions
On June 13, 2020, Governor Jared Polis signed Executive Order D 2020 101 (the “Order”) temporarily extending the required notice prior to commencing a forcible entry and detainer action (aka, an eviction) or terminating a tenancy or other estate in a mobile home park...
COVID-19 Legal Insight: Bar Closures
closed bar
Civil Rights Update: Supreme Court Rules for Gay and Transgender Rights in the Workplace
On June 15, 2020, the United States Supreme Court, in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, No. 17-1618, held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating against workers for being gay or transgender. Justice Neil Gorsuch,...