A Taxing Day - November 6, 2007

As a person who cringes at the thought of having anything to do with numbers or any governmental agency that is responsible for deflating the impact my paychecks have on my ability to successfully pay my rent, tax law could not be any more repulsive to me than a leper is to a small community.

Upon reading the faculty candidate's curriculum vitae, I realized that my excitement to be a part of a process that would have a profound impact on the law school was, more appropriately, a superficial smokescreen that hid potential regret. The man who was to be the center of attention was, what seemed, a scholar of sorts in the area of tax law- not to mention an impressive participant in politics. Aside from his White House internship, I became thoroughly disinterested in the candidate before I met him solely based on his choice of legal field.

I am ecstatic to learn that tax attorneys are not boring and geeky people, contrary to my beliefs. As a person who usually relegates the title of "Future Tax Attorney" to people who I could not see practicing law inside a courtroom (because of their lack of presence and shy demeanors) I became convinced that Tax law could actually be fun. This is an accomplishment deserving recognition.

Joshua Blank was engaging, fun, enthusiastic and very much qualified. He is the type of person from whom I would treasure the opportunity to learn - even if the subject is tax law. He had the student panel, in its entirety, wanting to sign up for his class, and we only talked with him for a 30-minute period. He described using real and imaginative examples that were fun and illustrative to get the point across to his students. He described one such example using Willie Nelson in his lectures as an Assistant Professor at NYU Law School. I figure that any man who can make me laugh, use Willie Nelson and have me understand the drawbacks of the IRS attempting to shame people publicly in the course of three-minutes is definitely quality Law Professor material.

I want to get the most diverse education I can in law school by taking classes in as many different areas as possible. Criminal law, civil law, constitutional law, corporate law, family law, international law and sports law are among the areas to which I want to be exposed. It was not until Joshua Blank spoke to me for 30 minutes that tax law made its way onto the list; it shall remain there if he joins the faculty of the law school.

Making an outstanding impression on me spells success on many different levels. I am outspoken, harsh, pessimistic and I have a very high set of standards that are difficult to meet. I was very much impressed with Mr. Blank, and I certainly hope that the Law School recognizes his potential to contribute to the success of the program and grow the minds of the students lucky enough to learn from him.

I was also granted the opportunity to spend time meeting with my professor. Most law professors are unable to hand out legal advice because of their role at the law school and what I assume could amount to some level of liability for the professor and the law school.

I had scheduled a time to meet with him a week-or-so ago. Lindsay and I had believed that the previously mentioned oil company who attempted to defraud us using bait-and-switch techniques were just ignoring us, hoping we would just go away. After a month had lapsed, we received a letter from their legal counsel yesterday. The letter contained nothing that we did not expect them to deny, but made a few assertions which we believe will haunt them when our impending trial commences.

Anyhow, receiving the letter the day before the scheduled meeting was great timing for us.

I walked into the Civil Procedure Professor's office (after having left the faculty interview) and sat down. It is poignant to note that the professor is the chairman of the faculty hiring committee; it puts me in a great position. We made some small talk, and then got down to business. I told him that I know his limitations as a faculty member, and that I wished to get his advice and feedback about a "hypothetical" case. He laughed, and we continued.

He applauded what we had done to this point, and agreed with our legal assertions. We do, in fact, have a case according to a legal expert. Score another point of validation. He made the same suggestions as my father made just last night (that is a point of validation for him, even though he does not need it). We will be sending a lengthy letter to their legal counsel letting him know that we cannot be dissuaded from pursuing damages. [On a related side-note: I did a second of research on the Oil Company's attorney of record. It turns out that civil litigation is far from his expertise. The sum total of his practice is employment law (which I happen to know a little about at this point).]

My professor told me that he not only suggests that perhaps we drop his name and title into the next letter but recommends that we do so. He wants us to have some credibility and show that legal experts believe that our case is solid.

I did not see that coming.

The point of this matter is to show a large oil company that they cannot and should not push people around. The upside is that I will actually have something to do over my Winter Break instead of sitting on my arse and being lazy.

I cannot wait.