Christine Speidel

Associate Professor of Law
Director of the 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