Tax Clinic Students Volunteer for Settlement Day
In November 2019, four student attorneys from The Janet R. Spragens Federal Tax Clinic volunteered at Washington, DC’s second annual “Settlement Day.” Settlement Day DC provides an opportunity for unrepresented taxpayers with upcoming U.S. Tax Court trials to meet with IRS Counsel in an effort to resolve their cases. The Tax Clinic students, along with volunteers from other schools and from private practice, were on hand to offer taxpayers free consultations. Michael MacNeill, Belen Crisp, Creighton Barry and Lixun Chen had a busy day conducting back-to-back consultations and succeeded in helping taxpayers resolve or reach a basis for resolution in at least six separate cases.
Settlement Day DC is a product of the Spragens Tax Clinic’s efforts to work with the IRS to offer unrepresented taxpayers the opportunity for free, informed case settlement. Last year, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue came to observe Settlement Day; this year the Chief Counsel of the IRS came to observe and sat in on both of MacNeill’s consultations.
The student attorneys who participated in Settlement Day all agreed that it was a positive experience. Barry said, “The feeling of helping taxpayers settle their tax issues with the IRS was indescribable. I am privileged to have had this opportunity.”