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Is Federal Tax "due" on the IL Bar
Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 3:35 pm
by 09042014
Someone is telling me this. What say you TLS.
Themis didn't even make a video for us.
Re: Is Federal Tax "due" on the Bar
Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 3:38 pm
by A. Nony Mouse
They don't test fed tax on the MBE or MEE. I don't know whether Illinois tests it.
Edit: sorry, ignore, now I get what you mean by due.
Re: Is Federal Tax "due" on the Bar
Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 3:40 pm
by Bronte
I don't see how it's really any more due than last year or the year before. I would just read a short outline once so you know some buzzwords, but you could probably get away with not even doing that. Even if there's a question on it, just write a short paragraph about what seems like income and what seems like deductions and move on. As you know, you can afford to do pretty poorly on the essays and really the whole exam.
Re: Is Federal Tax "due" on the Bar
Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 3:52 pm
by 09042014
A. Nony Mouse wrote:They don't test fed tax on the MBE or MEE. I don't know whether Illinois tests it.
Edit: sorry, ignore, now I get what you mean by due.
Oh I thought it was an MEE one, I didn't realize it was Illinois. I should really change that.
Re: Is Federal Tax "due" on the IL Bar
Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 4:06 pm
by 09042014
I just skimmed the outline, and it seems pretty straight forward if you've done taxes before. Unless they are going to have us do a complicated return or something I think it'll either 1)not be tested, or 2) be super simple
Re: Is Federal Tax "due" on the IL Bar
Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 4:39 pm
by Bronte
There are some weird tax issues, but I would focus on stuff that's virtually guaranteed to be tested like wills. Here's my largely uneducated guess about what's gonna be on the Illinois essay exam, mostly informed by fear and paranoia:
1. Torts owner-occupier issue
2. Defamation with First Amendment overlay
3. Pure First Amendment question about speech restrictions on public property
4. Mortgage question
5. Crim pro question
6. Evidence question involving spousal/marital privilege
7. Commercial paper question
8. Wills and trusts
9. Wills and trusts
Re: Is Federal Tax "due" on the IL Bar
Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 4:43 pm
by Bronte
I guess reading the instructions now that's even more uneducated than I thought because the MBE topics aren't typically that heavily weighted on essays. Oh well lol.
Re: Is Federal Tax "due" on the IL Bar
Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 2:37 am
by ace_of_spades
I'd rather see a tax question than a wills/trusts or admin question. Although most people I've talked to tend to think there will be a wills/trusts question and a civ pro/jx question for sure.
Re: Is Federal Tax "due" on the IL Bar
Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 8:15 pm
by traehekat
BarBri told us that Fex Tax is literally never tested and basically made it seem like we shouldn't even bother studying it, although we did have a lecture.
Re: Is Federal Tax "due" on the IL Bar
Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 8:23 pm
by 09042014
traehekat wrote:BarBri told us that Fex Tax is literally never tested and basically made it seem like we shouldn't even bother studying it, although we did have a lecture.
Good. Themis didn't have a video or any PQs.
Re: Is Federal Tax "due" on the IL Bar
Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 10:02 pm
by Agoraphobia
I wouldn't be sad if they did test it, because I've done super complicated tax returns for like 15+ years. Schedule C, Schedule A, medical deductions, blah blah blah.... That's the one and only subject I looked at the outline and went, oh yeah I know this, and closed it and haven't thought of it since.
Secured transactions, on the other hand....