The Tax Law Institute enrolls a very diverse group in terms of age, ethnicity, and professional background. While there are always a few individuals who come to us from professional programs in law and accounting, the majority of our participants are IRS-registered tax professionals with 5-to-10 years of practice experience.
While we prefer that C.T.L. participants have at least several years experience in the tax field, some applicants have no experience whatsoever and typically never worked in a tax job, but they have a desire to do so. We do not shut our doors to these individuals. The highly specialized nature of our program allows a person interested in a career in the tax industry to explore and study the tax laws through any one of our CPE courses. These tutorials last anywhere from six to twelve weeks. An academically successful participant may then seek to embark upon various career opportunities available in the domestic and international tax service industry.
For the non-attorney, our program offers a comprehensive preparatory program to gain admission to the Federal bar. Our practical and easy-to-understand U.S. Tax Court Non-Attorney Exam Prep tutorials are suitable for anyone who wishes to be "Admitted to Practice, United States Tax Court."
Unique to our tutorial programs is the C.T.L. Short-Research Paper project where participants have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a specialist in some aspect domestic, international or foreign jurisdictional taxation. Here, the emphasis is on understanding legal perspectives so that the tax practitioner can communicate effectively with federal judges, court clerks, opposing counsel and taxpayer-clients. Participants are assigned a tutor with whom they discuss their topical area of concentration and with whom they begin compiling the analytical materials that will shape their Short Papers. Completing this exercise is no small endeavor, consequently we seek individuals who are challenged and motivated.
Applicants should keep in mind that the value of our C.T.L. is defined by the rigor and integrity of our program. We are an I.R.S. Approved Sponsor of Continuing Professional Education for Enrolled Agents. Our CPE Certifications are provided by a Quality Assurance Provider. Therefore our standards are higher compared to most and our tutorials are certainly more demanding.
We expect those who seek to enter our programs to understand that these are not easy certifications to obtain. Much thought should be devoted to one's ability to complete the readings and research, write the exam answers and produce a Short Research Paper of publishable quality. We understand and expect that many, if not all, of the certification candidates will hold full-time jobs. Nonetheless, successful candidates should expect to devote no fewer than 5-to-10 hours each week to reading, writing and research. The prestige associated with the award of the certification far outweighs the sacrifices one must make to obtain it.
