Taking Income Tax + Corp Tax at same time Forum

[edwatt]

Currently a 1L. Registration for fall 2015 is this week. If I can, I'd like to take Corporations and/or Evidence.

Nonetheless, I'm interested in tax as a potential practice area. Would it be overkill to take Income Tax and Corporate Tax simultaneously? Should I go with Income Tax first?

Same prof for each class, which could be an upside or downside.

[seizmaar]

corp tax is awful but it doesn't depend too much on basic income tax until you get to some of the categorization bullshit. esp. w/ same professor i think you'll be fine even though this won't be fun.

[iShotFirst]

You have two years of law school left, and I'm sure Corp tax will be offered again during your time there. You dont even know if you will like tax or be interested in it at all once you start and you wouldnt want 2/5 or whatever of your grade for your first semester of 2L dependent on a subject you might not even like. Take Income Tax only.

[MCFC]

I was in this position last year and was talked out of doing both at once. Very happy I listened. Even if there isn't a ton of overlap between substantive topics, I would have been lost in corporate tax without knowing what foundational things like basis, boot, etc. were.

And, like the poster above says, you might not even like tax.

[unlicensedpotato]

Take income tax first, but don't worry if you don't like it. Transactional tax practice has a lot, lot more overlap with a corporate tax class than an income tax class.

Because it's the same Prof, they will definitely accommodate you, but I wouldn't do it. Corporate (unlike partnership and international, at least at my school) builds right off of income tax and you need at least the boot and basis knowledge that was mentioned above. I was in corporate and partnership at the same time though and it was no problem. You can still take a lot of tax classes even if you just take the one this fall.

[edwatt]

Thanks all. I'll only do Income Tax then.

corp tax is awful ...

Anyone want to elaborate on this?

... And, like the poster above says, you might not even like tax.

I know it's reductive to pigeonhole people like this, but anyone care to elaborate on what would make someone enjoy tax as (1) a subject of study and (2) an area of practice.