Nick Richards is an experienced tax attorney, partner, and co-chair of the Cannabis Law practice group at Greenspoon Marder LLP. As a tax controversy attorney, he represents individuals and businesses in tax audits & trials, M&A, and in managing tax debt. He also advises cannabis companies, owners and investors regarding tax and regulatory compliance matters. Mr. Richards has been a tax attorney for more than twenty years, beginning his career with the IRS, where he was a leading trial attorney, a Chief Counsel advisor, and a Special Assistant United States Attorney.

With his broad experience and understanding of all phases of the tax system, from reporting and assessment through appeals, court, and tax debt resolution, Mr. Richards achieves successful legal solutions tailored to his individual clients' needs.

Taxes can be stressful, and Mr. Richards' clients find relief in his broad experience in the IRS and in representing taxpayers, large and small. He understands the tax system, provides informed advice, and protects taxpayers from the mistakes and missteps of those less experienced. Several years after leaving the IRS, he represented a Colorado cannabis company in one of the first IRS audits in the legalized industry. Since that ground-breaking case, he has gone on to successfully represent companies in many cities, states, courts and before the federal government. In addition to tax audits, trials and collections, he is widely recognized as a leading cannabis industry attorney and has extensive experience in IRC Section 280E and BSA cash reporting requirements. His knowledge of the tax system is essential when advising business owners and investors, particularly in mergers, acquisitions and entity formation.

Mr. Richards also teaches tax attorneys and CPAs throughout the U.S., has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver, and serves on the board of the Colorado Legal Institute. Mr. Richards is a father of two young children, a proud husband, a music fan, and he enjoys the outdoors when not fighting for his clients.

Bar Admissions

• Colorado
• California

Education

• J.D., Lewis & Clark College, 1998
• B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara, 1995

• California Sales and Use Tax Rate Changes Effective April 1, 2026

  By Nick Richards |April 2026

Additional Articles

• Seeing the Big Tax Picture of Your Cannabis Company Acquisition
• The "Schedule III" Shift: What Federal Cannabis Reform Means for U.S. Immigration
• Schedule III Medical Marijuana: Implications for Section 280E
• California Sales and Use Tax Rate Changes Effective April 1, 2026
• Tax Strategies to Mitigate Tribal Tax Credit Losses: IRS Guidance on Theft Losses
• Tariff Refunds - Act Now
• When the IRS Comes Knocking: Your Survival Guide
• Claiming Credits on Your Federal Tax Return
• IRS Issues Interim Guidance on Bonus Depreciation: What Businesses Need to Know for 2026
• From Hemp to High Risk: Navigating Financial Fallout
• Best Practices and Considerations for Exiting Cannabis Companies
• Hemp - What Now?
• TaxTalk: Tax Exempt - Nonprofit Audits and Compliance
• Unions in the Cannabis Industry
• Cryptocurrency: Tax Considerations, Collateralized Lending, and Evolving Regulation
• Cannabis and the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERC)
• The Big Beautiful Bill, Tariffs, Taxes, Tips, Overtime - where are we now?
• The IRS is Still Ironing the Details of its Treasury Audit Directive
• IRS Employee Retention Credit (ERC) Voluntary Disclosure
• Understanding the Impact of the IRS's Standard Deduction Update
• Crypto Audits
• High Net Worth Audits
• Surviving an ERC Audit
• Capitalizing Disallowed Costs: 'Releaf' for the Cannabis Industry Published in Tax Notes
• Proposition 122 Legalizing Psilocybins Passes in Colorado
• NAICS Cannabis Industry Codes