Richard L. Jones

Massachusetts

Sullivan & Worcester LLP
One Post Office Square
Boston, MA 02109
United States

Tel: +1 617 338 2482

Email: rjones@sullivanlaw.com
Web: www.sullivanlaw.com

Professional Biography

Rich Jones is the leader of Sullivan’s Tax Group. He concentrates on state tax and local tax (SALT) litigation and transactional planning involving corporate, personal income and sales/use tax matters.

He has more than two decades of experience before the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board, the Supreme Judicial Court, various state Departments of Revenue and the Internal Revenue Service on a range of issues, including corporate nexus, domicile, apportionment, step transaction, and unitary reporting. He has served clients across sectors including technology, financial services, retail, media, manufacturing, telecommunications, e-commerce, software and construction.

Rich has developed a strong record in representing clients in SALT controversies over the years. Most recently, he argued and prevailed before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in a precedent-setting case, Oracle v. Commissioner of Revenue, which affirmed the right of businesses to apportion sales tax on software used in multiple states. The Oracle decision was named a top SALT case of 2021 by Law360 and a Top Indirect Tax Dispute Worldwide for Q2 2021 by International Tax Review.

In 2022, Rich was selected as a finalist for Litigator of the Year by The American Lawyer. In 2021, the editors of Law360 selected Rich as Tax MVP and published a profile story on his career and recent achievements. In 2021, Rich was also named a “Lawyer of the Year” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. Rich has been recognized by International Tax Review’s Tax Controversy Leaders’ Guide for the past five years and in August 2020 and August 2022 was shortlisted by ITR Americas for the North America Indirect Tax Practice Leader of the Year. He has been recognized and ranked by The Legal 500 U.S., Chambers USA and Best Lawyers in America©.

Rich formerly taught State and Local Taxation as an adjunct professor at Northeastern University, D’Amore-McKim Graduate School, MS in Taxation Program. He is active with the American Bar Association’s Tax Section, and co-chairs the SALT Subcommittee on Income & Net Worth. He previously served as co-chair of the Boston Bar Association’s Tax Section and its State Tax Committee.

Rich is co-author of “Taxation,” Vols. 4 – 4C of Thomson Reuters’ Massachusetts Practice Series and frequently writes and speaks at seminars on SALT topics. He has been quoted on tax matters in numerous publications, including Tax Notes, Bloomberg, Law360, The Boston Globe and Boston Herald.

Awards & Recognition

  • Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Lawyer of the Year (2021)
  • Boston Magazine2021 Top Lawyers, Tax (2021)
  • Law360’s 2021 Tax MVP
  • Tax Controversy Leaders’ Guide, International Tax Review(2013-2014, 2016-2023)
  • Pro Bono Attorney Award, Boston University School of Law’s Public Interest Project (2013)
  • The Legal 500 U.S.(2018-2022)
  • Best Lawyers in America®(2013-2023)
  • Chambers USA,Ranked in Tax (Massachusetts) (2010-2015)
  • Massachusetts Super Lawyers(2012, 2014-2022)
  • “Rising Star,” Massachusetts Super Lawyers(2006-2009)

The Tax Law Practice

Sullivan’s Tax Group provides time-is-of-the-essence, state-of-the-art, partner-level advice on a wide range of complex tax issues. Averaging over 20 years’ experience each, our tax partners creatively address the entire spectrum of tax-related legal matters, from tax planning for sophisticated corporate reorganizations to the representation of clients in adversarial proceedings with the Internal Revenue Service and state tax authorities.

Regardless of the context or forum, our Tax Group identifies each client’s objectives and then designs efficient and cost-effective strategies for achieving them. We solve complex problems across a wide range of tax regimes for a wide range of clients, including:

  • International, federal and state tax planning
  • Tax planning for business owners, investors and high-net-worth individuals (HNWI)
  • Tax planning for mutual funds, REITs and other pooled investment vehicles
  • Tax planning for public charities and private foundations
  • Tax planning related to employee benefits and executive compensation plans
  • Public company tax compliance and representation
  • Representation in federal and state tax controversies, including administrative appeals and all phases of litigation

We serve corporate taxpayers across a wide variety of industries throughout the U.S. Our international work is often a result of our connections with other professionals around the world. Many of our clients reflect our depth in the real estate, private equity, and financial services sectors. Our size and national reputation demonstrate our commitment to quality, an ability to design creative solutions to complex problems and the insight to understand and achieve our clients’ goals.

About Sullivan & Worcester

Sullivan & Worcester (Sullivan) is a leading AmLaw 200 law firm. With over 200 attorneys in Boston, London, New York, Tel Aviv and Washington, DC, Sullivan guides organizations that are rewriting the rules. Sullivan’s clients, including Fortune 500 companies and emerging businesses, rely on Sullivan’s strategic vision, comfort with complexity and intense focus on results. As a global law firm, Sullivan represents clients around the world and has a deep bench for working on a variety of matters and issues affecting clients.