From CLEA (cleaweb.org)
Tax Clinical Fellow, Michigan State University College of Law
By Kim Gardner
Jun 10, 2008, 10:20
• Overview of the Clinical Fellow’s Work: The MSU College of Law Tax Clinical Fellow is engaged in a variety of community-based outreach projects to educate English-as-a-second language taxpayers about their rights and responsibilities under the Internal Revenue Code; to generally inform persons within the community about the existence of the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic; and, more specifically, to invite low-income persons to take advantage of the Tax Clinic as a resource to solve their existing federal income tax controversies. The Clinical Fellow dedicated to the Tax Clinic will achieve these goals by providing: 1) Written materials and community-education presentations to low-income and ESL taxpayers; 2) coordination of, preparation of, and direct participation in many outreach projects ranging from oral presentations to appearances at places at which ESL and low-income taxpayer in need of the Tax Clinic’s services gather (e.g., the local Salvation Army; homeless shelters, and community events); and 3) the provision of legal assistance in tax controversy cases and tax return preparation that is ancillary to those tax controversies. The Fellow will pay particular attention to taxpayers who are eligible for, but may not know about, important federal tax credits such as the earned income credit and the child and additional child tax credits.
• Expectations of the Clinical Fellow: The Fellow dedicated to the Tax Clinic will continuously work through models of outreach and clinic promotion that, in part, have been developed by previous Fellows, and will enhance those models continuously. This Fellow also will work aggressively to improve economic conditions for low-income taxpayers by increasing the visibility of tax refund opportunities available to them and communicating this information to them directly, as well as by seeking out and providing legal and counseling assistance to them.
• Supervision and Teaching Responsibilities: The Fellow assigned to work at the Tax Clinic will have significant responsibility in supervising the work performed by law students enrolled in the Tax Clinic, and will be physically present at the Tax Clinic for substantially all of his or her working time. This Fellow additionally will participate in special projects and research affecting Tax Clinic clients, will teach some substantive tax law to student clinicians each semester, and will report on his or her activities at the request of the Tax Clinic Director.
• Required Educational Background: The Clinical Fellow dedicated to the Tax Clinic must have acquired familiarity with the work performed by the Tax Clinic through his or her own past association as a noteworthy student clinician with MSU College of Law’s Tax Clinic, and generally will be a former clinician who has successfully taken both Tax Clinic I and II. The Clinical Fellow must have completed his or her law school education, and either must have taken and passed the Michigan bar examination before assuming responsibilities as the Clinical Fellow, or must have applied or be ready to take the Michigan bar examination on the next date the examination is offered following the Fellow’s start date, and is expected to pass the bar at that time. If the Fellow does not pass the bar on the first available testing date after assuming his or her clinic duties, it is within the discretion of the Clinic Director to retain or immediately terminate the Fellow. Full-time, permanent employees of MSU College of Law are ineligible to apply for a position as a Clinical Fellow in the Tax Clinic, as are individuals who previously held a post-graduate, law-related, fellowship. The Law College applies a non-discriminatory policy in selecting the Tax Clinic’s Clinical Fellow.
• Commitment of the Clinical Fellow: This Fellowship lasts for a period of two years. The Fellow generally will begin his or her fellowship at or about August 15 of the appointment year – the exact start date will be determined mutually by the Fellow and his or her supervisor at the MSU College of Law Tax Clinic. In the event the Fellow does not perform his or her responsibilities as expected by the Tax Clinic Director, this two-year period may be shortened at the discretion of the Tax Clinic Director. Except for highly unusual circumstances and the assent of the Law College’s Director of Clinical Programs, no Fellowship will be for more than two years’ duration. In addition, the duration of the Fellow’s position may be shorter than two years if grant funding made available for the position is withdrawn or is not renewed.
• Salary & Benefits: The starting salary for this position is $39,500 annually, together with benefits (including healthcare, dental, paid parking, contribution to retirement annuity, term life insurance, long-term disability coverage, payment of basic Bar dues, and vacation time).
• How to Apply: By no later than Monday, June 16, 2008, send or email all of the following items to Michele L. Halloran, Director of Clinical Programs, MSU College of Law, P.O. Box 310, East Lansing, MI 48826, hallor11@msu.edu:
--A written statement – no longer than three (3) pages double-spaced in length with 12 point font – indicating each of the following:
• why you are interested in the Fellow position;
• what contribution you can make to the Tax Clinic
• what your vision of what the Tax Clinic will be/accomplish by the end of 2010; and
• why you believe you should be selected for this position.
--Your current resume
--A copy of your Law College transcript
--A writing sample that you will prepare, which shall exclusively consist of a synopsis of the following case: United States v Craft,535 US 274; 122 S Ct 1414; 152 L Ed 2d 437 (2002). Your synopsis cannot exceed one (1) page double-spaced in length with 12 point font.
--Two (2) letters of recommendation.
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