Greenberg Traurig, LLP expanded its State and Local Tax (SALT) and Government Law & Policy Practices with the addition of Nikki E. Dobay as shareholder in the Portland, Oregon, and Sacramento offices. Dobay will be a technical resource to clients, advising on SALT issues that include state tax policy work, evaluating transactions, and litigating tax disputes.
“Adding Nikki to our team is part of the firm’s strategic growth plan in the state and local tax arenas,” Greenberg Traurig Chief Executive Officer Brian L. Duffy said. “Her unique experience as a tax practitioner with a government relations background means Nikki is well-positioned to be a phenomenal advocate for our clients.”
Dobay will focus her practice on state and local tax policy matters based on her deep understanding of government and legislative processes. She will also advise clients on a range of sophisticated multistate tax issues and represent clients in controversy matters, from audits to appellate litigation on a range of issues, including sales and use taxes, income and franchise taxes, and property taxes.
“Nikki is one of the most well-known and respected attorneys in the SALT field, and we are pleased that she was attracted to our growing national, state, and local practice, collaborative culture and innovative client-forward business strategies,” said Bradley R. Marsh, co-chair of the U.S. SALT Practice.
Dobay was most recently a partner at Eversheds Sutherland, and previously worked at the Council on State Taxation (COST), a major trade group of taxpaying corporations and one of two leading state and local taxation organizations in the country. As senior tax counsel at COST, Dobay monitored legislation in all 50 states and advocated on behalf of the association’s multijurisdictional taxpayers on state and local tax issues. She has worked closely with policymakers on significant state tax issues in several Western states, testifying numerous times before multiple state legislatures and taxing agencies.
“I am thrilled to join such forward-thinking, accomplished SALT and Government Law & Policy teams,” Dobay said. “I hope to enhance Greenberg Traurig’s already-stellar global platform by utilizing my previous experience in state tax policy and legislation.”
Dobay co-founded the networking group Women in SALT with fellow attorney Breen Schiller; the national organization connects women practitioners of state and local tax law. Dobay chairs the Laws Committee, a subcommittee of the Oregon State Bar Association. She speaks often at taxation conferences and is frequently quoted by the media on prevailing tax policy issues. Dobay comes on board an expanding SALT practice, which includes Shail P. Shah and DeAndré R. Morrow who both joined the firm earlier this year from Reed Smith LLP.
Dobay received her LL.M. in Taxation, magna cum laude, from Capital University Law School, a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Oregon, and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Mercyhurst University. She is admitted to practice in California, Ohio, and Oregon.
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