UCI Law Graduate Tax Program
News & Updates
October 2021
A Message from the
Graduate Tax Program Faculty

In August 2021, the UCI Law Graduate Tax Program welcomed its third cohort of students to the Law School. Welcoming students back on campus after an unprecedented year was met with excitement by all tax faculty, staff and students.

The Program hosted a two-day, in-person orientation where students met with the founding tax faculty - Professor Omri Marian, Professor Joshua Blank and Professor Victor Fleischer, Director of Externships and Professor D’lorah Hughes as well as Executive Director Natascha Fastabend.

During orientation, students had the opportunity to participate in a Refresher on U.S. Taxation course taught by Professor Blank and got their job hunt underway by attending a Careers in Tax presentation taught by Professor Marian and a seasoned tax recruiter. Students concluded orientation with a networking event in the Law School courtyard where mentors, alumni and law school faculty and staff welcomed them to the UCI Law Graduate Tax Program family.

We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead!

Omri Marian
UCI Law Graduate Tax Program Academic Director
Professor of Law
Photos: UCI Law Graduate Tax Program faculty and students socialize in the courtyard during the fall 2021 orientation (left) and UCI Law Graduate Tax Program swag items including a facemask, t-shirt, hand sanitizer and water bottle (right).
News & Stories
Faculty Impact

For additional information on UCI Law Graduate Tax Program
News & Events, please visit our website.
Last December, Professor Omri Marian was the only scholar from the United States to present a paper, “Taxing Data,” at the Global Tax Symposium. This Symposium is an interdisciplinary mobile research platform on fundamental issues of international and comparative taxation and features select tax scholars and policy makers from around the world. Recently, Professor Marian was also quoted in The Washington Post on crypto currency tax reporting.
This summer, Professor Joshua Blank was selected by the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) to conduct a study of U.S. federal government agencies' use of automated tools -- such as chatbots, virtual assistants and artificial intelligence -- to explain the law to the public. This study grows out of several articles that Professor Blank and his co-author, Professor Leigh Osofsky (UNC School of Law), have recently published, or will publish, in Vanderbilt Law Review, Cornell Law Review, and Emory Law Journal. Professor Blank also co-presented some of his research from this project at the ABA Tax Section's Fall 2021 Meeting.
A recent scholarly survey ranked Professor Victor Fleischer as the fifth most-cited tax scholar in the United States.

Recently, Professor Fleischer’s research on the taxation of private equity funds was featured in The New York Times.
UCI Law Graduate Tax Program News

  • UCI Law is ranked No. 6 in the nation and No. 3 among public schools for Tax Law by U.S. News & World Report. In addition, the UCI Law Graduate Tax Program is ranked No. 1 on the West Coast and No. 5 nationwide among law schools with a graduate tax program by TaxProf Blog. (Press release).

  • The UCI Law Graduate Tax Program's website contains resources for anyone interested in learning about the intersection of tax law and racial inequity. It contains academic research, stories from popular media outlets, blog posts, podcasts, testimony and additional research.


  • The UCI Law Graduate Tax Program now has alumni practicing tax law in many major cities throughout the United States in top tax-related industries, including major accounting firms, law firms and governmental entities, including the Office of Chief Counsel and the United States Tax Court.
Photo: An infographic displays where UCI Grad Tax Program students practice in the U.S. Major cities includes New York, NY; Houston, TX; Phoenix, AZ; San Jose/Los Angeles/Irvine, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; Chicago, IL; Greenville, SC; Atlanta, GA; and Washington, D.C.
Events
In April, the UCI Law Graduate Tax Program was pleased to virtually host the 24th Annual Critical Tax Conference and concluded with a celebratory toast! The Critical Tax Conference fosters the work of both established and emerging scholars whose research challenges and enriches the tax law and policy literature. Critical tax scholars question assumptions of objectivity in tax, as their work explores how tax law and policy impact historically marginalized groups.
Photo: A screenshot of tax professors presenting and attending the 24th Annual Critical Tax Conference
Annually, the UCI Law Graduate Tax Program hosts the Tax Law & Policy Colloquium Series which features leading tax scholars and tax-policy experts. If you are interested in registering for the remaining Tax Policy Colloquium presentations, please RSVP to Executive Director, Natascha Fastabend at nfastabend@law.uci.edu.

Upcoming dates:

  • Oct. 20: David Gamage, Indiana University
  • Nov. 3: Tsilly Dagan, Oxford University
  • Nov. 17: Jonathan Choi, University of Minnesota
The UCI Law Graduate Tax Program will host a virtual information session featuring Professor Joshua Blank and Executive Director Natascha Fastabend on November 17 at 12:00pm (PST).

Upcoming information sessions will be posted and registration links will be available. Stay tuned!
Student Testimonials
Grace Guan, UCI Law Graduate Tax Program Class of 2020,
Transactional Tax Associate, DLA Piper
"Making the decision to go back to school and transfer to tax after practicing in another area for three years was not easy for me. However, since my first conversation with Professor Marian, I knew I found the right place. The UCI Graduate Tax Program is truly a unique program that is dedicated to student success. The faculty and staff are very approachable. They go above and beyond to provide individual advice and guidance to students whenever needed. The practice-oriented curriculum is one of a kind. The UCI Graduate Tax Program not only provides the best learning experience, but also helps the students stand out as future tax lawyers and practitioners." 
Jake Trinh, UCI Law Graduate Tax Program Class of 2020, Tax Staff Attorney, EY
"UCI's Graduate Tax Program is a phenomenal place to study tax law. One of the best aspects of UCI is its emphasis on experiential and practical learning because it allows students to be practice-ready. Moreover, the faculty is fully committed to ensuring both educational and professional student success." 
Kathryn Peyton, UCI Law Graduate Tax Program Class of 2020, International Tax Associate, KPMG
"The distinguished faculty members of UCI's Graduate Tax Program have already been so instrumental in advancing my tax career. In class, students are able to effectively navigate the Internal Revenue Code. We do numerous amounts of problems that prepare us for practice. One of my favorite parts of the program is that the curriculum is very hands-on. Additionally, UCI has fostered a close-knit environment, where I have been able to make great contacts with tax professionals and strong bonds with fellow tax students and the faculty." 
Now Applications to the UCI Law Graduate Tax Program
for the 2022-2023 Academic Year!

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