chevron-down Created with Sketch Beta.
February 21, 2019 Young Lawyers Corner

18th Annual Law Student Tax Challenge Winners

The Section is pleased to announce the winners of the 18th 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 2019 Midyear Tax Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, with the winners honored at a reception during the meeting.

The awardees from this year’s competition include:

J.D. Division

1st Place:
Jordan Fruchter and Thomas Boland
Albany Law School
Coach: Danshera Cords

2nd Place:
Emily Eash and Eliana Hoeppner
Western New England University

3rd Place:
Luis Garcia and Janette Duran
University of New Mexico Law School

Best Written Submission:
Luis Garcia and Janette Duran
University of New Mexico Law School

Semi-Finalists:
Scott Lee and Brittany Johnson
Georgetown University

Daniel Rowe and Mark Goshgarian
Loyola Law School

Kaitlyn Cornett and Thomas Koelbl
University of Memphis

LL.M. Division

1st Place:
Kasia Parecki and Christine Kuglin
University of Denver
Coach: Erin Stearns

2nd Place:
Dave Wilson and Gretchen Bundy-Ladowicz
University of Denver

Best Written:
Deborah Kelessidis and Arpine Khachikyan
Loyola Law School

Finalists:
Ashley Case and Ross Uehara - Tilton
Boston University

Victoria Allen and Lauren Smith
University of Michigan

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: https://www.youtube.com/user/ABASectionOfTaxation.