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February 16, 2017 Young Lawyers Corner

16th Annual Law Student Tax Challenge Winners

The Section is pleased to announce the winners of the 15th Annual Law Student Tax Challenge, a contest designed to give students an opportunity to research, write about, and present their analyses of a real-life tax planning problem. The competition is open to both J.D. and LL.M. law students. The teams presented oral arguments before a panel of distinguished tax lawyers and tax court judges attending the Section of Taxation 2016 Midyear Meeting in Los Angeles, CA, with the winners honored at a reception during the meeting.

The awardees from this year's competition include:

J.D. Division

1st Place:
Tyler Johnson and Anna Peckjian
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law

2nd Place:
Joshua Jacobson and George Gray
University of Florida Levin College of Law

3rd Place:
Nicholas Bjornson and Brian Lynn
University of Kansas School of Law

Best Written Submission:
Joshua Jacobson and George Gray
University of Florida Levin College of Law

Semi-Finalists:
Tyler Almeida and Alexander Magera
University of Kentucky College of Law

Shannon O’Keefe and Randwulf Singleton
University of Colorado School of Law

Aaron Bowen an Annie Goulart
University of Kansas School of Law

LL.M. Division

1st Place:
Samuel Hampton and Daniel Neumeyer
University of Washington School of Law

2nd Place:
Jake Allison and Andrew Ralls
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law

Best Written:
Lindsey Holcumbrink and Brynne Brown
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law

Finalists:
Lindsey Holcumbrink and Brynne Brown
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law

Anthony Garcia and Sarah Bechtle
University of Denver Sturm College of Law

An alternative to traditional moot court competitions, the Law Student Tax Challenge (LSTC) is organized by the Section’s Young Lawyers Forum. The LSTC asks two-person teams of students to solve a complex business problem that might arise in everyday tax practice. Teams are initially evaluated on two criteria: a memorandum to a senior partner and a letter to a client explaining the result. Based on the written work product, six teams from the J.D. Division and four teams from the LL.M. Division receive a free trip to the Section’s Midyear Meeting, where each team presents its submission before a panel of judges consisting of the country’s top tax practitioners and government officials, including Tax Court judges. The competition is a great way for law students to showcase their knowledge in a real-world setting and gain valuable exposure to the tax law community. For more information about the LSTC, go to www.americanbar.org/groups/taxation/awards/law_student_tax_challenge.html. ■


Watch the winning J.D. and LL.M. students deliver their presentations to a judging panel of tax law experts.

Tax 2017 Midyear Meeting: LSTC JD Finals

Tax 2017 Midyear Meeting: LSTC LLM Finals