Christine Speidel

Associate Professor of Law & Director of the Federal Tax Clinic

Biography

Christine Speidel directs the 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. Professor Speidel frequently speaks and writes on issues affecting low-income taxpayers, particularly related to health care reform. Her research interests lie in the intersection of poverty law with tax law and tax procedure. Professor Speidel is a contributor to the Procedurally Taxing blog and an editor of the practice manual Effectively Representing Your Client Before the IRS. Speidel is active in the American Bar Association Section of Taxation, and she is the immediate past chair of the Section’s Pro Bono and Tax Clinics Committee.

Prior to her appointment at Villanova, Professor 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