Founding tax faculty Omri Marian, Joshua Blank and Victor Fleischer create a "dream" tax LL.M. degree program with a mandatory practical skills component

IRVINE, Calif., July 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The University of California, Irvine School of Law is pleased to announce its Graduate Tax Program, a one-of-a-kind, practice-oriented Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree program led by renowned tax scholars Omri Marian, Joshua Blank and Victor Fleischer. True to the spirit of UCI Law’s cutting-edge approach to legal education, the Graduate Tax Program offers a unique tax curriculum emphasizing practice skills and featuring small class sizes and a collegial, supportive learning environment. The program will provide students with both the doctrinal depth and the experiential learning needed to practice tax law and to develop a deep understanding of the new tax law - enacted in 2017. The program will prepare graduate students for careers as tax attorneys, judges, tax administrators and policy advocates in the United States and abroad, and will also offer the opportunity for current practitioners to dramatically expand their tax knowledge and skills. The Program will begin accepting applications in August 2018 for admission to the inaugural class, with students matriculating in the fall of 2019.

“UCI’s School of Law continues to lead the evolution of legal education by offering opportunities - like the Graduate Tax Program - that address current and pressing issues in the legal field,” said Enrique Lavernia, UCI Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor. “This program would not be possible without the drive and innovation of UCI’s top legal faculty.”

“We are thrilled to expand our stellar tax curriculum with this unique offering,” said UCI Law Dean Song Richardson. "UCI Law is the highest ranked law school on the west coast with a graduate tax program.”

About the Founding Graduate Tax Program Faculty

The core full-time founding tax faculty of the Graduate Tax Program, Omri Marian, Joshua Blank and Victor Fleischer, are prominent scholars and experts who came to UCI Law to establish their dream tax LL.M. program. The combination of their unparalleled expertise and intellectual rigor has created, in the words of one leading commentator, a “tax juggernaut” at UCI Law – one of the top law schools in the country. Profs. Marian, Blank and Fleischer offer a unique scholarly perspective, driven by entrepreneurship and rooted in a commitment to champion student success and prepare the next generation of tax professionals.

The Only U.S. Tax Program Offered by a Top-Tier Law School with a Practical Tax Skills Requirement

In designing its innovative curriculum, the program’s founding tax faculty consulted tax practitioners, government administrators, tax policy advocates and other industry experts to develop a world-class educational experience. At the center of the curriculum is a mandatory practical tax skills requirement, which is completed through tax externships, tax clinics, or specially designed tax classes. UCI Law’s is the only tax program in the United States, offered by a top-tier law school, that makes practical tax skills training a required part of the academic curriculum.

The curriculum prioritizes mandatory in-depth doctrinal knowledge, required practical tax training, and a small student/full-time faculty ratio. The entire first semester is comprised of mandatory requirements, focusing on transactional tax courses. This structure ensures that all students gain comprehensive knowledge needed to be a successful tax practitioner and approach the rest of the program on an even playing field. In the second semester, students will apply their skillsets by participating in clinics, externships and other practical opportunities.

“No other graduate tax law program in the country offers a similar curriculum,” said Omri Marian, Professor of Law and Academic Director of the Graduate Tax Program. “Our program launches mere months after the new tax legislation - enacted in 2017 - takes effect, and we believe our innovative curriculum is uniquely suited to educate a new generation of tax lawyers to practice in this new legal environment. In a sense, it is a new program for a new tax law.”

Click here for more details about the UCI Law Graduate Tax Program, including application information.

About UCI Law: Defying Expectations

Celebrating its 10^th anniversary in 2018, the University of California, Irvine School of Law begins its second decade a larger, stronger, more dynamic academic institution than its founders could have ever imagined. UCI Law provides an innovative and comprehensive curriculum, and prioritizes public service and a commitment to diversity within the legal profession. UCI Law students have completed more than 80,000 hours of pro bono work in the past decade. Forty-five percent of UCI Law’s graduates are students of color. The collaborative and interdisciplinary community at UCI Law includes extraordinary students, world-renowned faculty, engaged alumni, and enthusiastic supporters. UCI Law continues to rank highly, including: The National Jurist ranks UCI Law No. 4 in the nation for practical training; U.S. News & World Report ranks UCI Law No. 21 in the nation overall out of 194 law schools, and ranks UCI Law’s robust clinical program No. 13 in the nation. More information on UCI Law is available here. Please follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ucilaw and SnapChat: ucilaw.

CONTACT: Vivian Slater
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