Federal Tax Clinic

The Federal Tax Clinic was established in 2000 to assist low-income individuals throughout Western Washington resolve disputes with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The federally funded clinic offers this assistance as a public service and as a means of training law students in tax practice. In 2008, the clinic received an IRS funding grant, the largest given to any clinic in the country. During 2005-06, the clinic handled 309 cases through the IRS administrative process, 24 cases in U.S. Tax Court, and one case in U.S. District Court.

Taxpayer Clinic News

• Hedge-fund Firm could feel fallout from KPMG investigation - Seattle Times
  Scott Schumacher, who teaches tax law at the University of Washington and formerly was a trial attorney with the Justice Department's Tax Division, said "Congress and the government are definitely out to send a message, and one way to send a message is to indict, if not prosecute, the lawyers, hedge funds and bankers."
• Federal Tax Clinic establishes advisory board
  The Federal Tax Clinic established an advisory board made up of former students and tax attorneys in the area. The Board will help guide the future of the clinic, as well as assist Clinic Director Scott Schumacher in outreach and development efforts.
• Schumacher publications
  Clinic Director Scott Schumacher is the co-author of the book "Tax Crimes" published by LexisNexis. Scott has also published an article in the Marquette Law Review entitled, MacNiven v. Westmoreland and Tax Advice Using "Purposive Textualism" to Deal with Tax Shelters and Promote Legitimate Tax Advice, and an article in the Pittsburgh Tax Review entitled Learning to Write in Code: The Value of Using Legal Writing Exercises to Teach Tax Law.