Announcement

2023 Taxation Section Stipend Recipient

2023 – Kim Truong

About Me:

I am a second year law student at the University of Oregon Law School primarily studying different areas in business law. I am interested in business law because my parents are small business owners. When we moved to Oregon in 2006, they opened their first restaurant and I grew up in the restaurant. I have always been interested in the legalities of running a business and hope to help other small business owners.

My Stipend work:

Over the summer between my first and second year of law school, I got the opportunity to extern at the Oregon Tax Court. I was able to draft two judicial opinions and write one research memorandum. Additionally, I was able to observe case management conferences, trials, oral arguments, and bailiff for one of the in person trials.

Despite all the interesting work that I was able to participate in, my highlight of the summer was getting to work with the individuals at the Tax Court. They were great mentors and have taught me so much.

How my stipend helped me:

The stipend allowed me to explore opportunities that I would have never considered as a low-income student. When I noticed that an opportunity was going to be unpaid for the summer, I was reassured that I would be able to participate because the stipend covered my basic needs. Additionally, the stipend allowed me to consider unpaid opportunities outside of Eugene, hence why I was able to extern in Salem.

Plans for the Future:

After my summer externship concluded, I was provided the opportunity to interview with Thorp Purdy, a law firm in Springfield, Oregon. I was then offered a position for the upcoming summer as a law clerk with their firm. I hope to be able to continue my work with them after graduating from law school.

Oregon Department of Revenue Rulemaking

The Oregon Department of Revenue is hosting four rulemaking sessions between November 21, 2023 and November 30, 2023. Topics include:

Settlement Offers
Recalculations of Maximum Assessed Value for Partial Assessed Value Exemptions
Pass Through Entity Elective Tax – Extension
Military Pay Subtraction
Certificate of Compliance With Oregon Tax Laws
Tax Compliance Certificates (Child-Caring Agencies)
Interest on Deficiencies and Delinquencies
Interest on Refunds

Additional information can be found at: https://www.oregon.gov/dor/pages/rules-laws.aspx.

Virtual Settlement Week: November 7-9

After a successful third Virtual Settlement Week in July 2023, the Tax Section and the IRS will partner again to host a fourth joint Virtual Settlement Week November 7-9, 2023. Volunteer attorneys will be matched with unrepresented taxpayers to meet and discuss settlement with the IRS Chief Counsel’s Office attorney assigned to the case.

  • Select a two-hour shift during the days of November 7-9 at your convenience.
  • Volunteers do not need to commit to taking on representation of the taxpayer beyond this volunteer event.
  • Experience with pro bono matters is not required. Those who are new to this work will be paired with a more experienced pro bono attorney whenever possible.
  • Experienced pro bono attorneys: help train those new to pro bono representation and expand your own impact!

The deadline to sign up for the third Virtual Settlement Week is October 27, 2023 at 11:59 pm ET.

Please register below or contact Meg Newman, Counsel for the Tax Section, with any questions: [email protected]

Broadbrush 2023

The Section hosts a one-day CLE every other year on a wide array of tax topics for new tax lawyers and non-tax practitioners at the OSB Center. Please encourage the new tax lawyers and non-tax practitioners in your firm to attend this CLE.

2023 Program: Taxes affect everyone—but not everyone knows tax law. Tailored for attorneys without a tax background, this program provides a wealth of information to help spot common tax issues before they become tax problems. A federal tax update will highlight Biden administration tax proposals and tax issues coming out of the pandemic. Learn what every lawyer needs to know about state and local tax. Receive property tax tips, and gain an understanding of the tax aspects of operating agreements. Find out about the pitfalls of employment taxes and explore IRS and Oregon Department of Revenue collections alternatives. Explore IRS and Oregon Department of Revenue collection alternatives, tax considerations during the sale of a business, and the tax consequences of remote work in the COVID-19 era and beyond.

Click here for the brochure.

Click here to register for this event.

Currently Accepting Nominations for Taxation Section Award of Merit – Extended Deadline

Nominations

Any lawyer or non-lawyer may nominate an OSB attorney member for the Award of Merit. Nominations must be in writing and should give at least a brief description of the nominee’s qualification for the award. All nominations must be submitted to the Chair of the Executive Committee no later than August 31, 2023.  Email your nominations to:

Catherine M. Schulist: [email protected]

Eligibility

The Executive Committee of the OSB Taxation Section recognizes and honors those who exemplify professionalism in the practice of tax law in the State of Oregon with the Award of Merit.

Any current or former member of the OSB is eligible to receive the OSB Taxation Section Award of Merit as described in the award standards and guidelines. The Award is granted to the candidate whom the Executive Committee believes to best personify the Oregon State Bar’s Statement of Professionalism, and best serves as a role model for other lawyers. Factors considered include reputation, conduct, leadership activities and service within the bar or the community in general, and pro bono service. The candidate’s accomplishments must fall within the tax field.

Download Award of Merit Guidelines »

ABA Volunteer Opportunities

This announcement is from the ABA Taxation Section:

Register Today for the Next Virtual Settlement Week!

After a successful second Virtual Settlement Week in March 2023, the Tax Section and the IRS will partner again to host a third joint Virtual Settlement Week July 19-21, 2023 . Volunteer attorneys will be matched with unrepresented taxpayers to meet and discuss settlement with the IRS Chief Counsel’s Office attorney assigned to the case.

Select a two-hour shift during the days of July 19-21 at your convenience.
Volunteers do not need to commit to taking on representation of the taxpayer beyond this volunteer event.
Experience with pro bono matters is not required. Those who are new to this work will be paired with a more experienced pro bono attorney whenever possible.
Experienced pro bono attorneys: help train those new to pro bono representation and expand your own impact!
The deadline to sign up for the third Virtual Settlement Week is June 30, 2023 at 11:59 pm ET.

Please register below or contact Meg Newman, Counsel for the Tax Section, with any questions: [email protected]

Register here

Can’t make it for Virtual Settlement Week but interested in pro bono representation? Join LITC Connect, a project of the Tax Section’s partner, the Center for Taxpayer Rights . LITC Connect matches volunteer attorneys, CPAs, and enrolled agents with cases referred from Low-Income Tax Clinics based on skillset, interests, and availability. Volunteers also have access to resources and training materials through their account. Sign up for LITC Connect today and you can indicate your location, availability and ability to take pro bono tax matters and will receive a personalized match.

Click here to learn about LITC Connect or email [email protected] with questions.

Oregon Department of Revenue to Host Tax Professional Liaison Meeting May 19

The Oregon Department of Revenue will hold a tax professional liaison meeting on May 19, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The department conducts liaison meetings on a quarterly basis to provide updates about tax-related state legislation, new tax programs, and other topics. Meetings required remote attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic, but now the department will offer a hybrid presentation with the options of in-person attendance or remote via Zoom.

The meeting will be in the Alfreda Bales Conference Room (formerly known as the Fish Bowl) at:

Oregon Department of Revenue
955 Center St. NE
Salem, OR 97301

Department staff will discuss topics including:

  • The new Agriculture Overtime Tax Credit program, which will start accepting applications in 2024 and provide tax credits for eligible agriculture employers who pay state-required overtime.
  • Updates about the new Pass-Through Entity Elective Tax.
  • Updates from the Oregon Board of Tax Practitioners.

Details are available at this Web site. Questions can be sent to [email protected].

Continuing Education Credit. The department does not issue continuing education credit for this meeting. However, credit may be issued by the Oregon Association of Tax Consultants (OATC). For more information and to register, go here. Please note: All in-person and virtual attendees wanting to receive credit must register using the OATC link. No sign-up sheets will be available at the in-person location.

Information Session: Tax Analysts Public Service Fellowship

In response to a need for tax legal assistance for low-income taxpayers, to foster a greater interest in tax-related public service, and to provide seasoned attorneys the opportunity to move into the public interest sector, the ABA Tax Section partnered with Tax Analysts to launch the Tax Analysts Public Service Fellowship in 2022. The application period for the second Tax Analysts Public Service Fellowship is now open, applications are due June 30, 2023.Applicants are expected to identify and secure a position with a qualifying sponsoring organization for the two-year fellowship before submitting the application. All Fellowships must involve taxation or administration of tax law and the sponsoring organizations must be a public interest nonprofit organization or a government entity.

Join us on Thursday, May 25 from 12:00 – 1:00 pm ET for an information session. Register here to join the information session to learn more about the application and Fellowship.

Help spread the word out about this opportunity and forward this email to your network. Please reach out to Meg Newman, Counsel for the Tax Section, with questions. ([email protected]).