University of Denver News Releases
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
DU Graduate Tax Law Program excels at ABA law challenge
Three DU student teams make the finals, a never-before feat
University of Denver’s Graduate Tax Program students made a strong showing in the school’s first year of competition in the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Law Student Tax Challenge.
The DU program placed three teams in the final round of LL.M. (Master of Laws) competition, held Jan. 17-19 just outside Las Vegas. No other school has ever done as well.
Competing against 50 teams from 35 schools, DU captured three of the four finalist spots. The team of Cindy Schlegel and Melissa Weber won the writing portion of the competition. Another team, made of Kelly Young and Hailley (cq) Joyner, was first runner-up in the oral competition; and a third team, Michelle Lee and Julie Karavas, wrote what was deemed one of the four best papers in the competition.
Other competitors included Georgetown University, Loyola, Northwestern, the University of California, Wake Forest, Boston University and the University of Florida. Traditionally, Georgetown and Loyola have dominated the event.
Adjunct professor Mick Walker says the win highlights the quality of DU’s tax law program, one of the few where accountants and attorneys study alongside each other.
“We’re one of the best programs in the nation, and we can compete with anyone,” Walker says.
In the competition, students solve a complex tax problem, spending hundreds of hours untangling issues and applying current tax law. All of the Graduate Tax Program teams consisted of attorneys now pursuing an LL.M. in taxation.
The ABA’s list of winners is posted online: http://www.abanet.org/tax/lstc/
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The University of Denver (www.du.edu), the oldest private university in the Rocky Mountain region, enrolls approximately 11,117 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Denver as a Research University with high research activity.Contact: Chase Squires
Phone: (303) 871-2660