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:
Scott Woody and Frank Cardoza
University of New Mexico School of Law
Coach: Mary Pareja
2nd Place:
Angela Doyle and David Berke
Yale Law School
3rd Place:
Alexander Bruin and William Dolan-Galaviz
Loyola Law School – Los Angeles
Best Written Submission:
Scott Woody and Frank Cardoza
University of New Mexico School of Law
Semi-Finalists:
Oliver Braunwalder and George Anezinos
Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law
Karen Richards and Collette Bonvillain
Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Nathalia Solis and Sevag Kechichian
Loyola Law School – Los Angeles
LL.M. Division
1st Place:
Janelle Darnell and Ester Santana
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Coach: Robert Wootton
2nd Place:
Colleen Redden and Samuel Neece
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Best Written:
Daniel Wharton and James Baker
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Finalists:
Daniel Wharton and James Baker
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Aaron Burton and Gregory Janssen
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 Form. 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. ■