Transactional Transformation: Moving from Litigation to Tax
For Joe Goldman ’15, Loyola Law School’s Tax LLM program gave him the skills and confidence needed to take his legal career in a different, and more positive, direction. After graduating from a well-known law school in 2008, Goldman began his legal career working as a litigator. But after five demanding years, Goldman decided the pervasive adversarial nature of litigation was not for him.
During law school, his favorite class had been an estate tax and planning course. At the time, committed to becoming a litigator, he hadn’t considered a potential career in estate planning. He revisited the field, and after speaking with a few different estate-planning practitioners, Goldman felt like he was ready to transition to a new career.
Because Goldman didn’t have a tax background, he decided to enroll in Loyola’s top-ranked Tax LLM program. At Loyola, he enjoyed delving into the tax field. “The professors not only taught me the fundamentals, but the program also focused extensively on delivering practical experiences,” says Goldman.
One of his favorite courses, Advanced Federal Tax Researching & Planning, gave him the opportunity to compete in the ABA Section of Taxation Law Student Tax Challenge, and the hands-on experience and feedback he gleaned from the course and the competition proved invaluable. He was able to snag an externship and an internship during school, and even before he graduated, was offered a full-time position in his desired field.
“Loyola’s graduate tax program not only gave me the skills I needed, but helped me tremendously with making key connections in the tax field. Loyola’s network is a huge advantage,” says Goldman.
Currently, Goldman works as an estate planning associate at Albrecht & Barney. The career change has for him been a positive one. “It’s been even better than I expected.” says Goldman. “Clients are grateful for our counsel and are so pleased when they leave our office. I enjoy my work in a way I never thought possible.”