Practice Areas
Honors + Affiliations
Member, American Bar Association, Tax Section, Court Practice and Procedure Committee
Member, Bar Association of San Francisco
Past Vice Chair, Executive Committee, Taxation Section, California Bar
Past Director, Tax Court Pro Se/Pro Bono Program, San Francisco, California
Past Chair, Technology Subcommittee, Court Practice and Procedure Committee, Tax Section, American Bar Association
Registered, E-Filing for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Outstanding Volunteer in Public Service Award (2001–2003), Bar Association of San Francisco
U.S. Department of Justice Outstanding Trial Attorney Award, Tax Division (1996), U.S. Department of Justice
Listed, Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business (2008)
Bar Admissions
- California
Court Admissions
- U.S. Tax Court
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims
- U.S. Courts of Appeals for the First, Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth Circuits
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
- Palo Alto
-
2 Palo Alto Square
3000 El Camino Real, Suite 700
Palo Alto, CA 94306-2121
Phone: 650.843.7270
Fax: 650.843.4001
William F. Colgin, Jr. is a partner in Morgan Lewis’s Business and Finance Tax Practice. His practice focuses on tax controversy and tax litigation, including representation of clients before the U.S. Tax Court, the Internal Revenue Service, and state taxing authorities. Mr. Colgin primarily represents corporate taxpayers and individual taxpayers in large dollar matters or complicated disputes.
Mr. Colgin has litigated large, complex, and high-profile tax cases including suits involving refunds, deficiencies, penalties, jurisdictional issues, summonses, disclosure issues, and judicial appeals. He also has worked with experts in the areas of intellectual property, economics, transfer pricing, contract manufacturing, accounting, stock options, valuations, and many other disciplines. Mr. Colgin’s controversy experience includes audit and examination defense and strategy, administrative appeals and settlements, and other administrative matters.
Mr. Colgin frequently speaks on tax litigation and controversy issues. He is a former vice chair of the Executive Committee of the Taxation Section of the California Bar and he is active in other bar associations. Mr. Colgin represents pro bono tax clients and has received three consecutive Outstanding Volunteer in Public Service awards from the Bar Association of San Francisco.
Mr. Colgin previously served as a trial attorney in the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., where he successfully completed the Attorney General’s Honors Program and received an Outstanding Attorney Award. Concurrent with his position at the Department of Justice, he served as a special assistant U.S. attorney.
Mr. Colgin is admitted to practice in California and before the U.S. Tax Court, as well as several federal district courts and federal circuit courts of appeals.
Education
- University of Denver College of Law, 1992, J.D.
- University of Wyoming, 1989, M.A.
- University of Wyoming, 1987, B.A.
