George Tsoflias

Favorite faculty member

One of Temple Law’s greatest strengths is the quality and commitment of its faculty members. I am particularly indebted to Professors Lin, Abreu, Monroe, and Murray for their devoted mentorship and commitment to both my educational and professional career. I have served as Professor Lin’s Research Assistant over the course of three semesters and have grown as a legal scholar as a result of this experience. Further, Professors Abreu and Lin spent hours of their time advising me on my career—ultimately enabling me to attain a federal judicial clerkship with Judge Cary Douglas Pugh on the United States Tax Court. I have also taken three courses with Professor Abreu—Federal Income Tax, Low-Income Taxpayer Policy, and Corporate Tax—further expanding my interest in tax law and recognizing the benefits of a career in this field. Finally, I served as a Teaching Assistant for Professor Murray’s Legal Research and Writing course and Professor Monroe’s Introduction to Transactional Skills course. I cannot thank these faculty members enough for their guidance.

Volunteer and service experiences

During my time at Temple Law, I served as a volunteer for VITA—the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program—in continuation of my volunteer work with the program during my time at Saint Joseph’s University. VITA is an IRS program where volunteers prepare tax returns for low-income taxpayers. Professor Alice Abreu organizes an annual training program for Temple Law students in January and encourages students to volunteer throughout tax season. In addition to organizing the training session, Professor Abreu teaches the Low-Income Taxpayer Policy and Practice course—a serial writing course I was able to complete during my second year at Temple Law. Through this course, students commit their time to serving with the VITA program throughout the Philadelphia community while learning of the tax-related issues low-income taxpayers face. Professor Abreu also arranged for our class to observe a United States Tax Court proceeding with Judge Lewis R. Carluzzo—a Special Trial Judge on the Court. Our class was able to meet with the Judge in his chambers before the proceeding—a particularly enlightening experience for me. As a result of this program, I was motivated to apply for—and ultimately accept—a judicial law clerk position with the US Tax Court.

Favorite memory

My most memorable experience at Temple Law School was completing my first year. Law school has challenged me in immeasurable ways and the first year was particularly difficult. While I was looking forward to this challenge, I did not appreciate how demanding the experience was until the first few weeks of class. The moment I was able to submit my last final examination during my first year, and complete the Temple Law Journal Write-On Competition, was an exceptionally gratifying time. While the journey may not be easy, it is one of the most fulfilling experiences I have had. I encourage anyone who is contemplating this endeavor to strongly consider Temple Law School.

Advice for incoming students

If I could offer one piece of advice to incoming students, I would encourage them to seek the mentorship and guidance of Temple Law’s exceptionally devoted faculty members. Each member of the Temple Law School faculty comes with a breadth of experience—both educational and professional. Faculty members, through scheduled office hours or drop-in visits, spend hours of their time serving as mentors and advising their students on how to become successful in this profession. I would strongly advise the incoming class to take advantage of these mentorship opportunities and work to form close relationships with faculty members—even professors they do not have for class.