Professor Schumacher is the Director of the Graduate Program in Taxation. He is also the Director of the Law School's Federal Tax Clinic. He teaches courses in taxation and White Collar Crime. Prior to joining the UW law school faculty full-time 2001, he was an attorney with Chicoine & Hallett, P.S., in Seattle, where his practice focused on civil and criminal tax controversy and litigation. He also served as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice Tax Division and an attorney-advisor to the Hon. Arthur L. Nims, III, Chief Judge of the U.S. Tax Court. He is admitted to the bars in Washington state, the U.S. Supreme Court, and numerous federal courts.
Scott Schumacher
- Director, Global Business Law Institute
- Director, Graduate Program in Taxation
- Faculty Director, Federal Tax Clinic
- Professor of Law
Contact
Phone: (206) 543-5351
Email: sschum@uw.edu

Education
B.A. 1986, Loyola Marymount University J.D. 1990, Seattle University LL.M. 1991, New York University
Areas of Expertise
Criminal Law and Procedure — Prosecution and Prosecutorial Ethics — Taxation — White Collar Crime
Selected Publications
- Mark E. Matthews & Scott A. Schumacher, Handling a Case with Potential Criminal Problems, in Effectively Representing Your Client Before the IRS 13-1 to -78 (7th ed. 2018 Am. B. Assn.).
- John A. Townsend, Larry A. Campagna, Steve Johnson & Scott Schumacher, Tax Crimes (2d ed. LexisNexis 2015). 678 pages & apps.
- Scott A. Schumacher, Magnifying Deterrence by Prosecuting Professionals, 89 Ind. L.J. 511-58 (2014).
- John A. Townsend, Larry A. Campagna, Steve Johnson & Scott Schumacher, Tax Crimes (LexisNexis 2008). 1 vol.
See the full list under the Publications tab below.
Peer Reviewed Journals & Law Reviews
- Scott A. Schumacher, Sentencing in Tax Cases after Booker: Striking the Right Balance Between Uniformity and Discretion, 59 Vill. L. Rev. 563-98 (2014).
- Scott A. Schumacher, Magnifying Deterrence by Prosecuting Professionals, 89 Ind. L.J. 511-58 (2014).
- Scott Schumacher, Stevens: Is Zealous Advocacy Obstruction of Justice?, 132 Tax Notes 1169-76 (2011).
- Scott Schumacher, Innocent Spouse, Administrative Process: Time for Reform, 130 Tax Notes 113-17 (2011).
- Scott A. Schumacher, Criminal Tax and Immigration: A Search for Clarity, 129 Tax Notes 235-39 (2010).
- Scott A. Schumacher, Tomko and Sentencing Guidelines in Tax Cases after Booker, 125 Tax Notes 149-53 (2009).
- Scott A. Schumacher, The Ninth Circuit Says Aloha to Boulware -- Again, 122 Tax Notes 1631-34 (2009).
- Scott A. Schumacher, Section 6694 Preparer Penalties and Tax Advice: The Latest on the Constantly Moving Target, Prac. Tax Law., Winter 2009, at 19-32.
- Scott A. Schumacher, MacNiven v. Westmoreland and Tax Advice: Using "Purposive Textualism" to Deal with Tax Shelters and Promote Legitimate Tax Advice, 92 Marq. L. Rev. 33-102 (2008).
- Scott A. Schumacher, Learning to Write in Code: The Value of Using Legal Writing Exercises to Teach Tax Law, 4 Pitt. Tax Rev. 103-35 (2007).
- Scott A. Schumacher, Unnecessary Harm: IRS Levies on Social Security Benefits, 113 Tax Notes 265-67 (2006).
Books or Treatises
- John A. Townsend, Larry A. Campagna, Steve Johnson & Scott Schumacher, Tax Crimes (2d ed. LexisNexis 2015). 678 pages & apps.
- Ethical Duties to the Tax System: A Handbook (Scott A. Schumacher & Michael Hatfield eds., University of Washington Gallagher Law Library, 2015). 556 pages.
- John A. Townsend, Larry A. Campagna, Steve Johnson & Scott Schumacher, Tax Crimes (LexisNexis 2008). 1 vol.
Book Chapters
- Mark E. Matthews & Scott A. Schumacher, Handling a Case with Potential Criminal Problems, in Effectively Representing Your Client Before the IRS 13-1 to -78 (7th ed. 2018 Am. B. Assn.).
- Scott A. Schumacher, Handling a Case with Potential Criminal Problems, in 2 Effectively Representing Your Client Before the IRS 13-1 (Keith Fogg ed., 6th ed. American Bar Association 2015).
- Scott A. Schumacher, Handling a Case with Potential Criminal Problems, in 2 Effectively Representing Your Client Before the IRS 13-1 to -82 (Keith Fogg ed., 5th ed. American Bar Association 2011).
- Scott A. Schumacher, Ethical Issues in Advising Closely Held Businesses, in Dwight Drake, Business Planning: Closely Held Enterprises 656-77 (West 2006).
- Speaker, "Tax and Data Privacy", Korea University Symposium on Privacy and the Public Interest, (March 22, 2019)
- Speaker, "Technology, Law and the Future of Education", University of Washington Converge, (November 17, 2018)
- Speaker, "US Tax and Trade Policy and Their Impact on Business with Mexico", Northwest University (November 1, 2018)
- Speaker, "Corporate Crime and Compliance in the United States", Bielefeld University (September 10, 2018)
- Speaker, "Spotting Potential Criminal Tax Issues", IRS Annual LITC Grantee Conference, (December 7, 2017)
- Panelist, "The Structure of Deals", The Art and Science of the IP Deal, University of Washington School of Law (April 7, 2017)
- Speaker, "Tax Avoidance--Implications on Corporate Governance", Keio Global Symposium, (January 14, 2017)
- Speaker, "Collateral Consequences in Tax Cases", IRS Annual LITC Grantee Conference, (December 15, 2016)
- Speaker, "Beyond Zealous Advocacy: The Ethical and Criminal Problems of Being Too Helpful to Clients", 65th Annual Tulane Tax Institute, (November 10, 2016)
- Speaker, "Identifying Cases with Potential Criminal Tax Issues", IRS Annual LITC Grantee Conference, (December 9, 2015)
- Speaker, "Administrative and Judicial Review of Tax Disputes: A Comparative Analysis", International Conference on Taxpayer Rights, (November 19, 2015)
- Speaker, "Tax Clinics and Calendar Call Programs", United States Tax Court Judicial Conference, (May 21, 2015)
- Speaker, "Handling Cases with Potential Criminal Issues", American Bar Association Tax Section (May 9, 2015)
- Speaker, "Criminal Tax: Prosecution Policies and Voluntary Disclosures", Tax Section Seminar, Washington State Bar Association (December 15, 2014)
- Speaker, "Representing Taxpayers in IRS Disputes", 2014 Annual Low-Income Taxpayer Clinics Grantee Conference, (December 9, 2014)
-
Income or excise? Figuring out how state Supreme Court might rule on challenge to capital gains tax (Prof. Schumacher and Prof. Spitzer quoted)
Apr 11, 2022 | Source: MyNorthwest
-
UW professors debate constitutionality of Washington’s capital gains tax | Washington (Prof. Schumacher and Prof. Spitzer quoted)
Apr 11, 2022 | Source: The Center Square
-
B.C. attorney general pushing for U.S.-style racketeering laws to combat organized crime (Prof. Schumacher quoted)
Sep 13, 2021 | Source: CTV News
-
Cody Easterday, Washington Rancher At Heart Of Alleged Cattle Fraud, Pleads Guilty In Federal Court (Prof. Schumacher quoted)
Mar 31, 2021 | Source: NW News Network
-
How Robert Smith played hardball with IRS over unpaid taxes (Prof. Schumacher quoted)
Oct 16, 2020 | Source: Financial Times
-
Here's What Stood Out About the Trump Family's Taxes, According to 2 Former Federal Tax Lawyers (Prof. Schumacher)
Oct 04, 2018 | Source: Time
-
Are My Grades Good Enough for an LL.M.? (Prof. Schumacher)
Mar 15, 2018 | Source: LLM Guide