WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 15, 2013 — The American Bar Association Section of Taxation has announced the winners of the 12th 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.

Stephanie Malen and Paul D’Alessandro of the University of Florida Levin College of Law were awarded first place in the J.D. Division.  Clayton Collins and Logan Kincheloe of Georgetown Law were awarded first place in the LL.M. Division.  The teams presented oral arguments before a panel of distinguished tax lawyers attending the Section of Taxation 2013 Midyear Meeting in Orlando, Fla., with the winners honored at a reception during the meeting.  Steven Willis was the coach for the University of Florida Levin College of Law team and Paul Schmidt coached the Georgetown Law team.

The Law Student Tax Challenge was developed and is administered by the Section of Taxation Young Lawyers Forum, and is designed to reflect everyday tax issues that might arise for practitioners.  The contest features both J.D. and LL.M. divisions, which compete in two-person teams that research the tax issues involved, and then submit technical memoranda and client letters with their solutions.  The teams’ written submissions are judged by tax practitioners from across the country; the teams with the best written submissions are chosen to present their tax planning strategies before the oral round competition judges at the Section of Taxation Midyear Meeting.

The other awardees from this year’s competition include:

J.D. Division:

2nd Place: Kandyce Korotky and Katherine Ward, William and Mary Law School; Eric Chason, coach

3rd Place: KaLynn Ryker and Sara Heuer, University of Florida College of Law; Yolanda Jameson, coach

Best Written Submission: Tyson Willis and Jonathan Borowsky, Harvard Law School

LL.M. Division:

2nd Place: Justin Byrd and Kyle Johnson, University of Denver Strum Law School; Andrew Waters, coach

Best Written Submission: Clayton Collins and Logan Kincheloe, Georgetown Law; Paul Schmidt, coach

The American Bar Association Section of Taxation is the largest professional association of tax lawyers, with approximately 23,000 members nationwide. Its goals include helping taxpayers better understand their rights and obligations under the tax laws and working to achieve a simplified tax system that is equitable and efficient.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is one of the largest voluntary professional membership organizations in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.