Tilton at 2009 ABA Tax Section Conference

Carpe Diem: Allison Tilton (LL.M. '09) discusses the benefits of student involvement in the American Bar Association

Allison Tilton, a student in the Graduate Tax Program, recently attended the American Bar Association Tax Section tax conference in New Orleans. Tilton shares her experience at the conference and discusses the importance of student involvement.

Seize an opportunity. It is time to join a bar association and get active. We all know we can join bar associations for free as LL.M. students, but joining is not enough. We need to get active in a specific section. I joined the Taxation section of the American Bar Association and was able to attend the mid-year tax meeting in New Orleans this past winter break for free (yes free). Now, some of you might be thinking a tax meeting over a break…is she serious? Honestly, these opportunities are more than just networking. During the three-day conference, I not only met practitioners and law professors, but also was able to attend invaluable seminars with up to date information regarding recent trends in Tax law. In addition, I was able to get VITA certification and learn about and how to use tax specific research tools.

Attending this meeting reinforced the relevancy and current status of the law we are learning here in the LL.M. program. My personal highlight of the meeting was during a seminar entitled Recent Developments in Individual, Corporate, Partnership and Estate & Gift Taxation. The panelists were three professors who discussed all of the case, statutory, and regulatory developments of 2008. While sitting there I noticed most of the attendees taking copious notes on the recent cases dealing with Family Limited Partnerships. I on the other hand was doing a mental checklist of all the concepts we had just covered in class. This moment alone taught me what a valuable resource this LL.M. program is, and how much more I can learn by attending programs and being active.

Remember, this is the time. This is OUR time. It is our turn to learn and lead. We are already investing so much in our education, why not invest a little more. Join, explore, and participate and you too will get the rewarding experience of seeing and believing first hand that we are ready to get out there and use the skills we have devoted so many years to obtain.

--Allison F. Tilton

>>Read more about the recent ABA conference

>>Take a look at some upcoming LL.M. events at BU Law