That’s right, I said ‘Win an A in Tax Law.’ My popular contest for law and paralegal students is back. So let’s get right to the good stuff…
Here’s how it works: simply write a guest post to be posted on taxgirl for Forbes.com about any hot tax policy issue. And I don’t mean a news or legal summary. I want a policy post – tell me what the issue is and why it matters. In other words, pick a topic and take a position. Some examples of policy topics include:
- Do the new FATCA regs make sense?
- Should attorneys and CPAs be exempt from testing requirements to represent clients before the IRS?
- Are amnesty programs a good idea?
- Are frequent flier miles fair game when it comes to tax?
The potential for topics is huge: there are, after all, millions of words in the Tax Code. That’s a lot to choose from.
So, tell me why the law is right or wrong, or just make me think about things in a different way. The key word here is policy.
To be clear, I’m not asking for a treatise or a law review article. You don’t have to cite like crazy, though clearly you need to credit any sources or quotes. I’m looking for thought-provoking, well-written posts about tax policy. Oh, and relatively short ones, at that. This is a blog, after all. Posts must weigh-in, for purposes of the contest, at between 500 and 1500 words. I’ll tell you what a professor once told me: extra words don’t mean extra credit, they just mean extra words.
The student who writes the best entry, in my not-so-humble taxgirl opinion (see below), wins! And since I’m a lawyer, here are some more rules:
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Entries must be sent via email with “Law Student Submission” in the subject line to winana@taxgirl.com by 11:59 p.m. EST on March 31, 2012. I know some of you are on spring break so I’m giving you a little extra time just in case you plan to pack your laptop with your flip flops when you fly off to where ever you’re going to do whatever it is that students do on break.
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Posts must be between 500 and 1500 words – in English. And in case you think like my little brother and assume that writing in all caps or italics will get you noticed – you’re only half right. It will get you noticed in that I won’t read it.
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The format must be plain text (either as a text file or just typed directly in the body of the email) or PDF only. No other attachments or formats will be accepted.
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You must be a part-time or full-time law student at an accredited US law school or a part-time or full-time paralegal student participating in an ABA-accredited paralegal program. And yes, an LL.M. student counts.
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You must include your full name, your law school or paralegal program, the name of your tax professor, and your email address with your entry. I won’t publish your email address, but I do need contact information for the winning entry. I respect your privacy, and I will not send you anything unrelated to your entry in this contest.
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By entering the contest, you agree that I may post any part or all of your submission including your name and school, as a part of the contest announcements or promotions, with the exception of your email address.
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Like one of the most famous judges of our time (no, not Judge Learned Hand), Judge Judy, my decision is in my sole discretion and is final.
The winner will have their post featured on the site which carries with it some bragging rights. I’ll post the winning entry – and maybe some standouts – in April.
You’ll also win a taxgirl mug, as pictured above, and a pound of coffee, caffeinated, of course.
AND
The best part of all… I’ll send a note to the prize winner’s professor in any tax course and ask them to give that winner an A.
Of course, I can’t really make your professor give you an A. You know this and I know this. But sometimes, a little push from the outside just to let your professor know that you’re really interested in a subject can go a long way. It could also serve as the basis for a tax policy paper for a writing course or a law review article.
As for those bragging rights? Last year, taxgirl was named one of the top 100 legal blogs by the ABA Journal. And a decent number of tax folks like CPAs and lawyers stop by. And some of those tax folks are in the position to, oh, say, hire students. And in a crazy job market, every little thing helps, right? Winning the contest could make for interesting conversation during job interviews (*ahem*) and get you a little bit of exposure – the good kind, not like the Dianna Abdala kind (Google it). Heck, it would impress me.
What could be better than writing about tax and being published? That’s like a dream job. (ooh, note to self: you have a dream job).
