College of Law
Promo video transcript
Andy Lyness
Welcome to the Georgia State University College of Law Low Income Tax Clinic.
Lyness
Hi my name is Andy Lyness,
Jeff Phillips
and I am Jeff Phillips.
Lyness
We also participated in the Tax Clinic for several semesters
Lyness
and we also worked as graduate assistants here in the clinic.
Phillips
We are here today to give prospective students a brief description of the Clinic,
Phillips
including its goals and requirements, student responsibilities, and skills developed
Phillips
and a couple of testimonials from former students in the Clinic about the benefits of the Clinic.
Lyness
When I signed up for the Tax Clinic, I really wasn’t sure what to expect.
Lyness
Little did I know it would be one of the most rewarding
Lyness
experiences I would have during law school career.
Lyness
Desiring to practice as a litigator and not as a tax attorney,
Lyness
I was a bit unsure about whether or not the Tax Clinic would be a worthwhile experience.
Lyness
Now, having spent a considerable amount of time in the Clinic,
Lyness
I can’t imagine having missed out on this incredible opportunity.
Lyness
The Tax Clinic has two simple goals:
Lyness
First, to provide a meaningful educational experience for students while,
Lyness
second, assisting low income taxpayers.
Lyness
Not only did the Tax Clinic help prepare me for life as an actual attorney,
Lyness
it also allowed me to use my legal skills and give
Lyness
back to the community by helping numerous taxpayers in need.
Phillips
One of the first questions many students have is
Phillips
what exactly a student does in the Tax Clinic?
Phillips
In general terms, the Tax Clinic allows a student to be
Phillips
transformed into a "student attorney" through the handling
Phillips
of real cases from actual clients, while still in law school.
Phillips
Student responsibilities include: contacting and interviewing
Phillips
clients by phone, mail, and in person; drafting various
Phillips
legal documents including letters and memoranda,
Phillips
negotiating and orally presenting client’s legal position to the IRS,
Phillips
participating in weekly meetings with Clinic supervisors to discuss cases
Phillips
and solving various ethical and professional dilemmas.
Phillips
While the Clinic presents students with more responsibility than the classroom,
Phillips
all students are closely supervised by Professor Blasi and Mr. Timm,
Phillips
two highly qualified and extremely skilled supervisors with
Phillips
years of experience assisting taxpayers and students.
Lyness
The Clinic is located in the College of Law and thus
Lyness
provides a convenient location for law students.
Lyness
Persons in the Clinic generally include Clinic I students, Clinic II students,
Lyness
GRA’s, Sarah Ortiz, the administrative assistant, and Mr. Timm.
Lyness
Professor Blasi’s office is located on the fourth floor,
Lyness
but he is readily accessible to all students.
Lyness
The Clinic’s procedures require that a student spend 7 hours a week,
Lyness
5 hours actually in the Clinic, during the fall and spring semesters,
Lyness
and 10 hours a week, 7 hours actually in the Clinic, during the summer semester.
Lyness
These hours do not include class time that students are required to attend.
Lyness
Generally, classes occur more frequently at the beginning of the term,
Lyness
with the goal of acclimating students to their new positions.
Lyness
The weekly classroom component to the Clinic allows students an
Lyness
opportunity to not only discuss substantive issues relevant to their Tax Clinic clients,
Lyness
but also to encourage in lessons to further the student’s client relationship skills,
Lyness
such as interviewing, counseling, and professionalism.
Lyness
These skills can be thought of as a 'bed-side manner' for attorneys,
Lyness
and is a skill that is not taught in any other law school class.
Lyness
Further, unlike externships, students will receive a numerical grade in the Clinic.
Lyness
This grade is based on professionalism, quality of student work,
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and the ability to move cases forward.
Lyness
The main source of information for the Tax Clinic is located on the Clinic website.
Lyness
The website contains administrative, procedural and substantive issues important to all students.
Lyness
In addition, each year, Professor Blasi will select students who
Lyness
have excelled in the Tax Clinic to be Tax Clinic Scholars.
Lyness
These Tax Clinic Scholars meet with Tax Clinic I students
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on a regular basis to assist them with their cases.
Lyness
GRAs and Tax Clinic Scholars are paid student attorney positions.
Phillips
The goal behind all of the responsibilities of tax clinic students
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is to continue to develop a student’s professional judgment,
Phillips
one of the most important skills required of all lawyers.
Phillips
The Clinic requires a student to make informed,
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professional decisions on how a case should be handled,
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something that can only be practiced through actual experience.
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Further, students learn to develop and manage relationships with opposing counsel,
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generally the IRS, and with their clients.
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Students must deal with a variety of client personalities - cooperative ones,
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suspicious ones, shy ones, and even uncooperative ones -
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and the skills developed while working with these individuals is incredibly useful.
Hi I'm Susan Grissom. I graduated from Georgia State University's College of Law in the Fall,
Grissom
and I immediately opened my solo practice after passing the Bar.
Grissom
I'm working in the areas of wills and estates, business law and tax.
Grissom
When you take other classes in law school, you learn about the law, so you gain
Grissom
a knowledge of what the law is and how you work within the law,
Grissom
but there's no practical experience in that.
Grissom
However, when you take the Tax Clinic, you actually have that experience.
Grissom
You're writing letters, you have an attorney who is overseeing you,
Grissom
he's giving you feedback, you are actually meeting with clients and you are really practicing law.
Grissom
That was the one class I took throughout law school that actually gave me
Grissom
practical experience to prepare me for the real world
Grissom
That actually gave me the drive to go ahead and do an
Grissom
individual practice of my own and work with clients.
Craig Cupid
I'm currently taking the Tax Clinic and it's been a great experience.
Cupid
I've worked with a lot of low income, basically it's for low income clients,
Cupid
and I feel like I'm actually contributing to the community.
Cupid
We are able in the Tax Clinic to negotiate taxes between the IRS and the client.
Cupid
It feels good when you are able to represent them and get their tax bill
Cupid
lowered from twenty thousand dollars to two hundred dollars.
Cupid
And, that's because a lot of them are again, low income,
Cupid
they may have HIV and other issues in their lives,
Cupid
and I feel like I'm making a difference while I'm in law school.
Phillips
As you can see, the Georgia State Tax Clinic provides an invaluable experience
Phillips
for all law students, and also for the community at large.
Lyness
If Jeff and I, as two former students of the College of Law
Lyness
have any advice to current students,
Lyness
it would be not to miss out on the Tax Clinic.
