Scott M. Knutson is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher's Orange County office. He is a member of the firm's Tax Department. Mr. Knutson has experience both in corporate tax as well as partnership tax.

Mr. Knutson's transactional tax practice focuses primarily on structuring acquisitions, mergers, spin-off and leverage buy-out transactions for both public and privately held businesses; forming and providing advice to on-shore and off-shore hedge funds; and, structuring and providing advice related to financial instruments and transactions. Mr. Knutson also handles audit and controversy matters. Mr. Knutson has represented taxpayers at all levels of tax controversy, including federal and state audit, administrative appeals before the IRS and California SBE, and litigation before the United States Tax Court and the Ninth Circuit.

Mr. Knutson joined the firm in 1991 after earning his law degree cum laude from the University of Minnesota. Mr. Knutson also has a master of business taxation from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from Pepperdine University. He did his undergraduate work at Washington State University, where he graduated with honors and received a bachelor of pharmacy in 1985. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Knutson worked in the marketing department of Eli Lilly and Company.

Mr Knutson is a frequent speaker at tax conferences and seminars. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Chapman University School of Law where he teaches courses in corporate tax and the federal taxation of consolidated returns, and he is a member of the Advisory Board to the Tax Emphasis and Tax LLM Programs at the law school.