Meeting Schedule:  Below is a list of the 2010 speakers for the Dallas Bar Association Taxation Section. Please make every effort to attend. All meetings are on the first Monday of every month, except as otherwise marked.

If you are unable to attend and do not receive an email attachment with the outline for the presentation, please contact the Section Chair, Michael Threet at mthreet@akingump.com.

TAX SECTION EMAIL DISTRIBUTION LIST

 If you are a member of the DBA Tax Section and have not been receiving DBA Tax Section emails, please send an email to the Chair, Michael Threet at mthreet@akingump.com.

We exchange outlines with the Tax Sections of several other Texas bars (Ft. Worth, Houston, Austin) to exchange copies of the outlines distributed at our meetings. The goal is to afford our speakers wider publicity and recognition for their work and to allow our members to obtain the benefits of the outlines prepared for the other group. 

TAX COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP

The Members of the Tax Council for 2010 are:

Michael Threet, Chair, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer, & Feld L.L.P. mthreet@akingump.com 

Ron Kerridge, Vice-Chair, K&L Gates ron.kerridge@klgates.com

Jim Roberts, Secretary-Treasurer, Glast, Phillips& Murray jvroberts@gpm-law.com

Alyson Outenreath, Thompson & Knight, alyson.outenreath@tklaw.com

Chris Robinson, JC Penney, crobi5@jcpenney.com

Anthony Daddino, Meadows, Collier, Reed, Cousins & Blau, LLP, adaddino@meadowscollier.com

Louise Hytken, US Department of Justice, louise.p.hytken@usdoj.gov

Dan Baucum, Shackelford, Melton & McKinley, LLC, dbaucum@shacklaw.com

Christopher Hanna, SMU School of Law, channa@mail.smu.edu

Ex-officio member:  Grover Hartt, Immediate Past Chair, U.S. Department of Justice, grover.hartt@usdoj.gov

PRO BONO

The Dallas Bar Tax Section is partnering with the State Bar of Texas Tax Section's new Pro Bono Committee.  The Tax Section is committed to providing a venue for tax lawyers to participate in pro bono activities.  Many tax lawyers would like to help the needy but are unaware of pro bono opportunities that are well suited to tax lawyers.

1) The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance ("VITA") Program

VITA is designed to help low-income taxpayers claim the refundable earned income tax credit ("EITC"). The EITC is the largest cash assistance program for the working poor. And still, about 25% of eligible taxpayers fail to claim the credit because either they are unaware of the credit or it is too complex. The EITC has helped lift 5 million working poor out of poverty. Training is available on line at the IRS.gov website at the "Link & Learn" tab.

2) The Texas Community Building with Attorney Resources ("C-Bar") Program

Texas C-Bar is a statewide pro bono initiative for transactional attorneys. Texas C-Bar provides free legal representation and other legal resources for community-based nonprofits working to improve the lives of low-income persons and transform distressed neighborhoods into healthy communities. The types of matters that Texas C-BAR refers to volunteer attorneys include: drafting articles of incorporation and bylaws; applying for and maintaining tax-exempt status; establishing joint ventures; drafting and reviewing contracts; and reviewing financing documents.

To learn more about participating in these pro bono activities or to become a member of the Pro Bono Committee of the State Bar of Texas Tax Section, please contact: Dan Micciche at (214) 969-2797 or by email by clicking here dmicciche@akingump.com or Janet Jardin at (214) 969-1535 or by email by clicking here janet.jardin@tklaw.com

SMU TAX CLINIC

We are pleased to bring to your attention the following information about the SMU Tax Clinic. If you have a potential client for the Clinic, please contact Larry Jones at 214-696-2661 or larry@tjtaxlaw.com

Southern Methodist University School of Law has been operating a Federal Tax Clinic since January 1977. In order to give law students valuable experience of handling actual tax cases, the Tax Clinic offers free representation to taxpayers who are involved with IRS audits, appeals, and collection matters and who meet the qualifications for being accepted as a client of the Tax Clinic. The Tax Clinic now handles nonprofit and small business matters.  In some cases the Tax Clinic represents taxpayers before the United States Tax Court. The Tax Clinic can help taxpayers in negotiation and resolution of contested matters with the IRS. In order to determine whether a taxpayer qualifies for representation by the Tax Clinic, a free one hour consultation is offered to prospective clients. Clients are accepted only after the student attorney, who conducts the interview, and the Tax Clinic Director review the results of the initial interview to determine the suitability of the client. Representation may be offered to those taxpayers who cannot otherwise afford representation and to taxpayers in cases where the fee which would normally be charged by a tax practitioner could be expected to equal or exceed the amount of tax in controversy.

Each semester 10 to 15 SMU law students represent individuals and corporations who have disputes with the IRS. The Tax Clinic is staffed by law students who are trained in tax law and supervised by Larry Jones, a full time practicing tax attorney and Director of the Tax Clinic. Students participating in the program are competently representing taxpayers and are diligently seeking to resolve their issues. Cases are accepted only when the proposed adjustments by the IRS are susceptible to further factual development or legal argument. The Tax Clinic not only gives students significant attorney/client experience, it also fulfills the need of taxpayers-who would otherwise be unrepresented-to free and competent legal representation. The Tax Clinic receives referrals from various sources including the IRS, attorneys, and accountants. The Tax Clinic is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and is located on the first floor of Storey Hall on the SMU campus at 3315 Daniel, Dallas, Texas. Prospective clients should call (214) 768-2562 for further information or to schedule an appointment.

The Dallas Bar Tax Section meets on the 1^st Monday of every month except for holiday weeks (New Years and Labor Day).  When one of those holidays on the normal meeting date, the Tax Section meets on the following Monday.  The 2010 meeting dates are:

January 4, February 1, March 1, April 5, May 3, June 7, July 5, August 2, September 7 (Tuesday after Labor Day), October 4, November 1 and December 6.  The November meeting is the annual meeting of the Section.