Anita Alanko (4L) and Jennifer Galstad (4L) traveled to Boca Raton, Florida to attend the 2020 Midyear Tax Meeting and compete as semifinalists in the J.D. Division of the 19th Annual Law Student Tax Challenge (LSTC). In November, Alanko and Galstad participated in the LSTC, submitting written products consisting of a partner memo and a client letter. Their selection as semi-finalists meant they were one of five teams––out of 81 submissions from 48 schools––to prepare an oral argument, which they did with the help of their coach Professor Laila Leigh who is a supervising attorney for the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC).

Alanko shared her gratitude while reflecting on the experience, “We are thankful for the writing and clinic experiences at CUA. As evening students, we extend our studies another year, but that also gives us time to participate in competitions such as this.”

Galstad added, "This moot court style competition provided an outstanding opportunity to gain technical knowledge on certain areas of tax law, and allowed us to connect with so many amazing attorneys practicing in various sectors. It was challenging to make the time between a job, coursework, and family, but the opportunity to network with lawyers and other students in the mid-year meeting was priceless. We were selected to compete in Boca Raton, and we were also invited to attend tax sessions, luncheons, and gatherings with inspiring practitioners. Women in Tax had an informal launching event, and there is a noticeable gender imbalance in tax law. The support we received was incredible. We highly recommend Catholic Law collegues, especially female students, participate in the fall."