June 2, 2008

Law School Tax Competition Winners Are Announced

Thomas M. Cooley Law School's Graduate Tax Program and the Taxation Section of the State Bar of Michigan were pleased to honor the winners of the 5th Annual Thomas M. Cooley Law School Writing Competition at the State Bar of Michigan's 21st Annual Tax Conference held on Wednesday, May 28, 2008, in Plymouth, Michigan.

The Taxation Section has reserved space for the winning entry in an upcoming edition of the Michigan Tax Lawyer.

Chido Nedziwe won first prize for an entry on the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act. In addition to the publication of this article, Ms. Nedziwe received a scholarship to attend the tax conference from the State Bar's Taxation Section, and received a $100 Cooley bookstore credit courtesy of Cooley’s Graduate Tax Program.

Second place went to Matthew Kroll, who also wrote about the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act. Mr. Kroll received a scholarship to the Tax Conference from the State Bar’s Tax Section, and a $50 Cooley bookstore credit from the Cooley Graduate Tax Program.

Two other entries earned note from the judges. Gina M. Torielli, Professor and Director of Cooley’s Graduate Tax Program, said "We are also going to recommend for publication by the Michigan Tax Lawyer the best entry on the Murphy case, a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision relating to the deduction of fiduciary fees, which came from Brian White, and the best entry on the Tax Code 6694 Return Preparer penalties, which came from Amanda York.

Torielli noted, "The tax writing competition is a great opportunity for our students to gain experience in analyzing tax laws and writing scholarly articles for publication. Cooley’s Graduate Tax Program appreciates this opportunity to partner with the State Bar of Michigan in this event. This year’s winners certainly rose to the occasion, writing timely and interesting articles on recent changes to the tax laws."

Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the country. Founded in 1972, it operates J.D. and Master of Laws programs across Michigan in downtown Lansing, Auburn Hills and downtown Grand Rapids. Today, Cooley Law School has more than 12,000 graduates across the nation and worldwide and also offers joint degree programs with Oakland University and Western Michigan University. Cooley offers enrollment three times a year; in January, May and September. Additional information about Cooley can be found at www.cooley.edu.