Christine Speidel
Associate Professor of Law
Director, Federal Tax Clinic
Biography
Christine Speidel directs Villanova Law's Federal Tax Clinic. In the clinic, she teaches students to practice law by representing needy members of Villanova’s neighboring communities in federal tax disputes. Speidel frequently speaks and writes on issues affecting low-income taxpayers. Her research interests lie in the intersection of poverty law with tax law and tax procedure. She is an editor of the practice manual Effectively Representing Your Client Before the IRS. Speidel is also active in the American Bar Association Section of Taxation, where she is a Council Director and a past chair of the Section’s Pro Bono and Tax Clinics Committee.
Prior to her appointment at Villanova, Speidel practiced law at Vermont Legal Aid. She directed the Vermont Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic and was a staff attorney for Vermont Legal Aid's Office of the Health Care Advocate as well as the Poverty Law Project. She represented low-income individuals in tax, health care, domestic violence, and public benefits matters, and also advocated for systemic policy changes.
Practice Experience
- Director, Vermont Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, Vermont Legal Aid Inc., 2014 - 2018
- Staff Attorney, Vermont Legal Aid Inc., 2006 - 2018
Recent Publications
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Squeezing Blood from Stones: A Comparative Analysis of Tax Relief for Victim-Survivors Of Economic Abuse In Australia And The United States, Article, Australian Tax Forum, June 2024
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National Report of the United States 2023, New Media, International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation, Observatory on the Protection of Taxpayers’ Rights, May 2024
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Should the IRS broaden its mission to include providing benefits to low-income Americans?, New Media, CQ Press / Sage Publishing, April (2nd Quarter/Spring) 2024
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Introducing Tax Advocacy to Students, Book Chapter, UNIV. OF LONDON PRESS, December 2023
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Formal Comments on Docket No. CFPB-2023-0020: Request for Information Regarding Data Brokers and Other Business Practices Involving the Collection and Sale of Consumer Information, Policy Paper, Published, July (3rd Quarter/Summer) 2023
Recent Presentations
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'Faculty Workshop', Could Performance-Based Regulation Improve Tax Time Financial Products?, Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, July 2023
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'Junior Tax Scholars Workshop', Patching the Backstop: Equitable Remedies in Tax, Northeastern University Law School, Boston, Mass. June 2023
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'Junior Tax Scholars Workshop', ‘Taxpayer First’ Innocent Spouse Adjudication, Illinois University Urbana Champaign Law School, Champaign, Illinois. June 2022
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Tax Compliance for Refugees, ABA Section of Taxation; IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service; and others, Webinar. June 2022
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'AALS Clinical Conference', Workshop for New Law School Clinical Teachers, AALS, May 2022
Office: Rm 135, John F. Scarpa Hall
Phone: 610-519-3895
Courses and Seminars
- Federal Tax Clinic
Education
- Harvard University, JD
- Pomona College, BA