For nearly a decade, a single father in Michigan had been trying to show the IRS he is the sole provider of his young daughter and rightfully claimed her as a dependent. Because the girl’s mother also claimed her, the IRS denied the father’s claim and audited years of his tax returns, holding up nearly $30,000 in tax refunds. With assistance from MSU Law’s Tax Clinic, the father appealed to the U.S. Tax Court and recently recovered the entire amount.
In another case, a Michigan man who lost his job during the COVID pandemic and drove for a ride share company was charged $10,000 in back taxes. The Tax Clinic helped the man correct an error on his tax return, claim mileage expenses, and significantly reduce his tax liability.
These two cases represent the work of the Alvin L. Storrs Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic – obtaining refunds unjustly held and reducing tax liability wrongfully levied by the IRS or Michigan Treasury.
On the eve of its 25th anniversary, MSU Law’s Tax Clinic estimates it has helped some 4,000 disadvantaged taxpayers in Michigan resolve tax disputes valued at more than $10 million in recovered and reduced returns.
“Every year we help taxpayers with limited income either obtain refunds or reduce what they think they owe,” said clinic Director Christina Wease. “That money is rightfully theirs – and it makes a difference in how they live.”
Over the years, some 650 MSU Law students have worked at the clinic, logging over 125,000 hours in pro-bono services. Many credit the clinic with helping them launch a successful and fulfilling career in tax law.
“My experience with the Tax Clinic completely changed the trajectory of my career and life,” said Victoria Remus, ’15, an attorney at Dykema in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. “People think tax law is boring. But it’s not. The Internal Revenue Code is open to interpretation. That makes my work exciting and, dare I say, fun.”
Shelby Ohstrom, ’23, joined the Tax Clinic as its full-time supervising attorney in 2024 after working there as a law student. The experience helped her appreciate the difference she could make in the field of tax controversy.
“The clients we work with are usually at a low point in their lives and are truly looking for help to solve their issue,” Ohstrom said. “I feel honored to be a part of their journey in helping resolve their tax issues as well as helping educate them for the future. The tax system can be complicated, and I believe it is crucial that more taxpayers have the confidence and knowledge necessary to tackle it.”
In 1999, the U.S. Congress established the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic Program (LITC) granting funds to law schools and legal aid organizations to help taxpayers resolve disputes with the IRS. The federal program expanded from 34 grants totaling $1.46 million in its first year to 138 grants totaling more than $19 million in 2024.
MSU Law applied for its first grant in 2000, making it one of the country’s oldest tax clinics in the LITC Program. In addition to representing taxpayers, the clinic educates them on how to avoid issues in the first place.
“Each year, we use the grant money to resolve tax disputes and conduct educational events all over Michigan to highlight our services, educate on tax basics, and spread the word on tax issues and scams we are seeing,” Wease said.
In addition to educating low-income taxpayers, the clinic helps those for whom English is a second language including international students and scholars in Lansing and Detroit.
