The Tax Law Certificate is available to concurrently enrolled J.D. students at KU Law.

Students who complete the Tax Law Certificate are ready to meet the growing demand for attorneys with tax expertise. Courses cover the basic principles of taxation and finer points of tax law and practice, allowing students to develop the skills needed to build successful careers.

Certification also assures employers that the student not only has mastery of the basic principles of individual and entity taxation but has also been exposed to some of the finer points of tax law and practice.

In addition to all other J.D. degree requirements, students must also complete the certificate requirements for the Tax Law Certificate.

Students who intend to pursue a certificate program should complete the Declaration Form. The form deadline for your intention to pursue a certificate is November 1st of your 3L year, though you may certainly do so earlier. If you fail to meet the requirements of the certificate by the time you graduate, you will not earn the certificate.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses:		6
LAW 913	Federal Income Taxation
LAW 855	Taxation of Business Enterprises
Elective Courses: 4 from the following.		9-10
LAW 868	Business Planning Seminar
LAW 907	Estate Planning: Practice
LAW 906	Estate Planning: Principles
LAW 926	Intro to Employee Benefits
LAW 965	Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Organizations
Experiential Requirement:
Students must also complete a minimum of 20 hours of participation in: An Internal Revenue Service-sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program or a similar nonprofit tax assistance program
A student must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 in tax courses that count toward the certificate.
Total Hours		15-16

*Pro Bono hours do not include any service performed for the purpose of fulfilling a requirement of a law school class or certificate program. Learn more about the Pro Bono Program.

At the completion of this program, students will be able to: 

• Acquire Knowledge and understanding of substantive and procedural law.
• Develop legal analysis and reasoning, legal research, problem-solving, professional skills, and written and oral communication in the legal context.
• Exercise proper professional and ethical responsibilities to clients and the legal system.