Michael Semes Appointed Professor of Practice for the Villanova University Graduate Tax Program

Villanova University announced the appointment of Michael Semes as Professor of Practice for the Graduate Tax Program. In his new role, Semes will teach courses in the University’s nationally recognized graduate tax program, which is comprised of a Master of Law in Taxation (LLM) degree and a Master of Taxation (MT) degree, and is offered both on-campus and online.

“I am thrilled to welcome Michael Semes to the University community,” said Joy Mullane, Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Graduate Tax Program. “Michael is a recognized and respected attorney and tax professional. He will bring his years of experience to the classroom, and I have no doubt our students will benefit greatly from his expertise.”

Developed by the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law in conjunction with the Villanova School of Business, the Graduate Tax Program melds real-world education with professional responsibility in tax practice. The rigorous curriculum examines taxation from multiple perspectives, allowing students to explore how the law and accounting affect the field’s ever-changing landscape.

Semes began his career as an associate at Duane Morris. He was later partner at Blank Rome, as well as a founding partner of Tucci & Semes. He has also been a principal at PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young, and is currently of counsel at BakerHostetler. In addition, he served as chief counsel to the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue in the Tom Ridge administration. In that role, he drafted numerous regulations, litigated cases and was involved in drafting several significant pieces of legislation, including the Electric Deregulation Act and Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights. He has represented taxpayers in hundreds of state tax cases across the country and has reported victories in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Semes holds a Bachelor of Music, summa cum laude, from Duquesne University, a Master of Fine Arts in Music from Carnegie Mellon University and a Juris Doctor from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law.