Kevin Wall

Understanding financial statements and reports. The objective of the course is that students will be able to read and understand the four financial statements and the 10-k annual report. Emphasis is placed on understanding the nature and meaning of the reports, as well as the relationship to the underlying transactions. Other topics include: basic accounting principles, US GAAP versus IFRS, financial statement analysis, the relationship of the financial statement information to covenant documents, and accounting gamesmanship. RESTRICTION: Not open to students who have had more than one three-hour college course, or its equivalent, in accounting.

This course will focus on teaching students how to write client letters, internal memoranda, responses to IRS IDRs, and other documents common in tax practice. Students will be required to do multiple drafts of each assignment to allow for feedback and improvement on student writing. Additionally, there will be an emphasis on understanding the different audiences for each assignment (client, tax partner, government authority, etc.) and the relevant considerations in writing to each audience. Students will also be required to research and write the client letter and supporting memorandum in response to the problem set issued by the ABA Law Student Tax Challenge (submission to the competition is optional). JD students are not permitted to enroll in the online section of any tax courses without receiving prior approval from the Assistant Dean for Graduate, International, and Online programs.