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Reviewed by:
Former Head of Pre-Law Office, Northeastern University, & Admissions Officer, Brown University
Reviewed: 6/27/24
Tax is a small word with a big meaning. Read on to learn more about becoming a tax attorney.
Everyone hates taxes—or at least paying them. Filing your taxes can be complicated and challenging, especially when discrepancies can cause legal penalties or issues. However, tax attorneys make these potential issues less daunting!
Suppose you’re interested in making a pesky part of everyday life more manageable. In that case, this guide will go into further detail about how to become a tax attorney, their duties, and career outlook.
A JD is difficult to complete. It involves a rigorous curriculum that students must excel in to secure strong job prospects. As such, committees need assurance that students are academically talented and have begun developing good study habits before they can accept them into their programs.
Correspondingly, all law school applicants must complete an undergrad before attending law school.
For most law schools, your major won’t impact your admission chances. However, considering you want to become a tax attorney, you should choose accounting as your primary to begin learning about tax fundamentals.
You must also maintain a high GPA throughout your undergrad to ensure you’re considered a competitive applicant at as many schools as possible.
While it might be difficult to gain experience directly related to tax law, you must dedicate an adequate amount of time to extracurriculars, work, and volunteer endeavors to begin building your law school resume.
Choose activities you are genuinely interested in and plan to stick with throughout your undergrad or at least for a year. The admissions committee will appreciate depth more than breadth when reviewing your resume, so you must make a meaningful impact in these pursuits.
Depending on the school you’d like to attend, you’ll be allowed to write the LSAT or GRE. Ensure you review the content and format of both exams to determine which one you can score higher on.
Regardless of which exam you choose, you must use reliable resources and stick to a comprehensive study plan to get you to your target score! Your LSAT or GRE will substantially affect the admission committee’s selection process.
After you’ve gone through the lengthy task of preparing your application, writing the LSAT/GRE, and waiting for decisions, you should hopefully get an offer letter from one of your top choices. If you're still in the early stages of your application journey, working with an expert can help you improve your chances of getting into the law school that best aligns with your goals.
After accepting your offer, you’ll spend the next three years completing a JD program. Since law school is difficult, you must remain diligent and focused throughout these three years. Your grades will determine the job prospects you have post-graduation!
Aside from the LSAT, you’ll have to write the MPRE exam to prove you can meet the ethical and professional standards required of a lawyer.
Most law students write this exam during the second or third year of their JD, but you should choose a time that works best for you. While this exam is generally considered easy to study for, you must give yourself at least a few weeks to master the material.
While this step is optional, lawyers may pursue additional legal training by completing an LLM in Tax Law. This certification can offer more employment options and higher pay. Several programs combine a JD with an LLM in Tax Law.
The bar exam is the final step and final exam you’ll have to complete before you can begin representing clients. Unlike the MPRE, this exam is considered to be challenging and typically requires a few months of preparation!
You’re almost at the finish line by this step, so as tempting as it may be to slow down and catch your breath, you must push through to ensure you can cross that line as soon as possible!
Tax lawyers also participate in continuing education programs to keep up-to-date with all state and federal income tax laws.
While tax attorneys generally ensure there are no discrepancies in their clients’ taxes or help them resolve differences, the specific tasks they perform to do this successfully include:
Tax lawyers are also constantly conducting legal research to understand complex tax law policies that change frequently.
Knowing your career outlook is another essential part of learning how to become a tax lawyer.
Luckily, tax attorneys are well-paid and have high earning potential, depending on their location and experience. Entry-level tax lawyers typically make around $98,602 a year; mid-career lawyers make $154,838 a year; and late-career lawyers make approximately $167,584.
Since everyone needs to file taxes, and issues often arise, tax lawyers are always in demand. While these professionals tend to be the busiest during tax season, they’re needed year-round and usually build a substantial clientele within a few years of working in the field.
In this guide, we’ve covered the basics of how to become a tax attorney. For any remaining questions about this career, read on to find your answers.
Becoming a tax attorney will take at least seven to eight years of formal education: ideally, four years to obtain an undergrad in accounting, three years to obtain a JD, and an optional additional year to receive an LLM in Tax Law.
While you’ll only need to be in school for seven years to become a tax lawyer, tax attorneys spend their entire careers learning! You can expect to take additional continuing education courses several times throughout your career to ensure you provide your clients with the best advice and representation.
On average, tax lawyers make $146,508 a year in Florida. Salaries range from $93,297 to a high of $169,548.
The top-paying states for tax lawyers are the District of Columbia, where they make an average of $171,437 a year; California, where they make an average of $170,787 a year; and New York, where they make an average of $164,609 a year.
Yes, becoming a tax lawyer will be challenging. One of the hardest parts will be getting into a good law school, as law schools are competitive and typically only accept a small fraction of applicants. Another challenging step will be to pass the two-day bar exam.
Once you’ve joined the profession, you will face other challenges. As tax laws are constantly being modified, you’ll have to keep up with these changes, or your clients can face penalties, and your reputation will be on the line.
California is not only one of the highest-paying states for tax lawyers, but it also has the most annual job openings.
No, tax attorneys do not have to receive CPA licenses. They do not handle other accounting matters, only taxes. As such, they only require a JD to perform their job effectively.
Undoubtedly, the journey to becoming a tax lawyer will be challenging. You will likely face many hurdles but ultimately end up in a high-paying, high-demand legal profession.
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