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Fall 2024 Newsletter - Graduate Tax Program | |
A Message from UC Irvine School of Law's Graduate Tax Program
Dear Friends of University of California, Irvine School of Law's Graduate Tax Program,
The UC Irvine Graduate Tax Program has had a productive and eventful Fall 2024 semester! In August we welcomed the Graduate Tax Program's 6th cohort of ten fantastic tax students to the UC Irvine community. This cohort consists of one UC Irvine J.D. alum, two veterans, and two international students from Australia and China. One of the Graduate Tax students is participating in the recently launched part-time program.
This semester has been busy. In September, we celebrated the 5 Year Anniversary of the Graduate Tax Program, which was a major milestone for our program. We held multiple informational sessions, welcomed tax practitioners to campus for the UCI/IFA Careers in Tax Pathways presentation, hosted the Tax Policy Colloquium speaker series, the annual Tax Career Day interview program, and announced a new scholarship program.
This newsletter shares some highlights of the UC Irvine Graduate Tax Program!
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Joshua Blank
Professor of Law
Professor Joshua Blank's scholarship focuses on tax administration and compliance, taxpayer privacy and taxation of business entities. He teaches Corporate Tax, Federal Income Tax and Tax Practice & Procedure. Professor Blank's new book "Untaxed: The Rich, the IRS, and a New Approach to Tax Compliance" (co-authored with Professor Ari Glogower) will be published by Cambridge University Press in December. This book offers a fresh perspective on the long-standing dilemma of tax avoidance and evasion by the rich by proposing a new legal response: means-based adjustments to the tax compliance rules.
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Omri Marian
Professor of Law
Professor Omri Marian is an internationally recognized expert in international taxation comparative taxation and taxation and the blockchain. Over the summer, Professor Marian presented "Taxing Justices' Gift Receipts" at the Law & Society Association's Annual Meeting. Professor Marian was also quoted in a Bloomberg Tax article: Crypto Tax Payment Get Few Taxers as More States Eye Programs.
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Introducing New Lecturer: Helen Cheng
This Fall, we welcomed Professor Helen Cheng, Partner, Withersworldside, to the Graduate Tax Program family. Professor Cheng is a trusts and estates attorney who focuses on exempt organizations and international tax planning for inbound and outbound transactions. She assists clients in all aspects of estate planning, estate and trust administration, and charitable planning. Professor Cheng currently teaches Charitable Planning & Tax Exempt Organizations, which focuses on the U.S. income tax law regarding tax-exempt organizations, focusing on statutory, regulatory, and judicial basis and rules for federal income tax exemptions.
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Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) Scholarship - Public Service | |
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In November, the program was proud to announce a new scholarship program designed to support individuals committed to public service in tax law. Beginning the 2025-26 academic year, the Graduate Tax program will offer five $20,000 tuition scholarships to admitted students who have volunteered or worked with a Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC). To qualify for the scholarship, the admitted student must have volunteered for at least 125 hours during law school or must have been employed at an LITC for at least 6 months.
Dean and Chancellor's Professor of Law, Austen Parrish said "by offering this LITC Scholarship, we hope to continue building a pipeline of talented, public-service oriented tax professionals who are passionate about making a difference in their communities. We also aim to encourage more individuals to engage with LITCs, as they provide crucial assistance to underserved taxpayers."
Learn more
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Graduate Tax Program 5 Year Anniversary Event | |
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This September, we celebrated the Graduate Tax Program's Five-Year Anniversary! Alumni, faculty members, mentors, employers, externship providers, and members of the tax community came together to celebrate the program's many milestones. Alumni traveled from Seattle, Northern California, Houston, Chicago, New York and even China to attend. It was wonderful sharing memories and seeing how far our community has grown in five short years!
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Tax Law & Policy Colloquium Speaker Series 2024 | |
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Over the past few months, leading tax scholars and tax policy experts were invited to present their works in progress to a Tax Law & Policy seminar class taught by Professor Fleischer. Papers were discussed ahead of the presentations and students wrote short response essays that were shared with the presenters, allowing students to engage in cutting-edge tax policy research.
This semester, the presenters included:
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John Deshong: The Tax Legislative Process: Optics and Constraints | |
Diane Ring: The Conflictual Core of Global Tax Corporation | |
Alex Zhang: Fiscal Autonomy in Subnational Taxation | |
Rebecca Kysar: Sunrise Legislation | |
Luis Calderon Gomez: Too Hard to Insure | |
Ari Glogower: Apportioned Direct Taxes | |
The Graduate Tax Program hosted its annual tax interview day in October, where we welcomed employers interested in hiring Graduate Tax Program candidates for Spring 2025 externships and full-time post-graduate positions. We would like to thank the following employers for participating this year: | |
If you are interested in participating in Tax Career Day 2025, please contact Natascha Fastabend at nfastabend@law.uci.edu to get on the registration list. | |
2025 Tax Attorney Recruiting Event (TARE) | |
The Tax Attorney Recruiting Event (TARE) is a one-day job fair held virtually on Thursday, February 27, 2025. TARE is hosted by a consortium of four elite law schools and enables employers to interview some of the top graduate tax students in the United States. Employers that participate in TARE have the opportunity to pre-screen applications and select candidates who are of interest to them. Employers can then opt to either interview students virtually during TARE or receive a resume packet and follow up with students directly. First-time participants can register for free! If you are interested in participating in TARE, please contact Executive Director Natascha Fastabend.
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Student Spotlight & Alumni Testimonial | |
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Robbie Heaven
Graduate Tax Student, Class of 2025
Robbie Heaven is a current Graduate Tax Program candidate and will graduate from the program in May 2025. Robbie also practices estate planning law and trust litigation and has previously practiced general civil litigation and corporate M&A. Before practicing law in the United States, he was a barrister in Australia. Robbie was awarded Honors First Class in Commerce/Accounting at the University of South Australia. He then completed his law studies at the University of Adelaide, receiving an LL.B. and LL.M.
“The UCI Graduate Tax Program has a rigorous curriculum and innovative approach to tax law. I have found that it prepares students for dynamic careers in the field. The program is supported by an exceptional faculty and academic staff who are not only leaders in their areas of expertise but also deeply invested in their students' success, offering personalized guidance and invaluable mentorship.”
-Robbie Heaven.
You can read more about Robbie in the October 2024 Law School Newsletter.
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Kathryn Peyton
Graduate Tax Alumni, Class of 2020
Associate, Private Wealth Services,
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Kathryn Peyton was in the Graduate Tax Program's inaugural class, graduating in May 2020. Thereafter she worked at KPMG in Arizona before returning to Southern California & joining Greenberg Traurig's Private Wealth Services group.
"My Tax LL.M. from UCI is still serving as a valuable asset almost five years after my graduation. The connections I made during my Tax LL.M. enabled me to recently land my dream position as an international estate planning almost five years later. While at UCI, I interned with the estate planning team that has now brought me on as an associate. I am thankful for these long-lasting connections, as well as the education I obtained from the Graduate Tax Program."
- Kathryn Peyton.
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