Ask the taxgirl: Tax Jobs

Taxpayer asks:

Why did you become a tax attorney?

Taxgirl says:

Wow, this is not a short answer - but hey, it’s late/early - it’s the Blog Off and I have time.

When I went to law school, I vowed never to take tax. It just felt boring.

But then I had a horrible Moot Court experience. You see, in many law schools, you are required to participate in Moot Court. Basically, this means that you dress up and argue a fake case with your peers in front of a panel of lawyers who will judge you.

In my class, the numbers worked out such that when the class was divided into Plaintiffs and Defendants, I was the odd girl out.

Moot Court works like this: you brief your case and present it to the court. A brief consists of a statement of the facts of the case and a number of arguments - about three for purposes of Moot Court.

On this fateful day, I was dressed in a suit that neither fit nor was comfortable. It was borrowed, blue wool and too big. But I couldn’t bring myself to buy a suit for the day, so it was the best that I could do.

So there I was, standing there in an uncomfortable suit, waiting for my turn. Since I was the odd girl, it had been decided that my group would go last - Plaintiff, then Defendant and then I would go as Plaintiff again. However, I was supposed to argue anew - and not part of the prior argument.

I go up to the bench and I ask if the judges (lawyers acting as judges) wish to hear the facts of the case.

Nope.

So then I start my first argument. I am interrupted by one of the judges, advising that he’s already heard that argument.

So I start my second argument. I am interrupted again by one of the judges, who says “Counsel, we’re not interested in hearing that argument. Do you have anything new to add?”

I looked at my brief, confused, trying to hold it together. The truth was, I didn’t have another argument.

My professor then stepped up to the platform to say that she needed to discuss something with the judges. She stepped back and one of the judges said, “Oh, I’m sorry, counsellor. We didn’t understand that you were starting from scratch. You can begin again.”

And I did. I did pretty well under the circumstances (what I was certain was a heart attack).

But I learned that moment that I hated litigation. Hated it.

I ran as fast as I could to transactional work. I liked the professor who taught the transactional course - she also taught estate tax. I enrolled in estate tax the next semester - then a few advanced tax classes. I found that I loved the policy behind the tax and voila, a tax lawyer was born.

The lesson I learned? Never count anything out. Anything can happen.

Like any good lawyer, I need to add a disclaimer: Unfortunately, it is impossible to give comprehensive tax advice over the internet, no matter how well researched or written. Before relying on any information given on this site, contact a tax professional to discuss your particular situation.

Have a question? Ask the taxgirl!

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