Christine Speidel
Associate Professor of Law
Director, Federal Tax Clinic
Biography
Christine SpeidelÌýdirects 91̽»¨Law's Federal Tax Clinic. In the clinic, she teaches students to practice law by representing needy members of Villanova’sÌýneighboring communities in federal tax disputes. Speidel frequently speaks and writes on issues affecting low-income taxpayers. Her researchÌýinterestsÌýlie in the intersection of poverty law with tax law and tax procedure. She is an editor of the practice manualÌýEffectively Representing Your Client Before the IRS.ÌýSpeidel is also active in theÌýAmerican Bar Association Section of Taxation, where she is a Council Director and a past chair of the Section’s Pro Bono and Tax Clinics Committee.
Prior to her appointment at Villanova, SpeidelÌýpracticed law at Vermont Legal Aid.ÌýShe directed the Vermont Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic and was a staff attorney for Vermont Legal Aid's Office of the Health Care Advocate as well as the Poverty Law Project. She represented low-income individuals in tax, health care, domestic violence, and public benefits matters,Ìýand alsoÌýadvocated forÌýsystemicÌýpolicy changes.
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Practice Experience
- Director, Vermont Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, Vermont Legal Aid Inc., 2014 - 2018
- Staff Attorney, Vermont Legal Aid Inc., 2006 - 2018
Recent Publications
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Australian Tax Forum, June 2024
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International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation, Observatory on the Protection of Taxpayers’ Rights, May 2024
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CQ Press / Sage Publishing, April (2nd Quarter/Spring) 2024
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UNIV. OF LONDON PRESS, December 2023
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Published, July (3rd Quarter/Summer) 2023
Recent Presentations
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'Law, Society & Taxation at the Law & Society Annual Meeting', Towards a Trauma-Informed Tax System, Law & Society Association, Chicago, IL. May 2025
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'ABA Tax Section May Meeting', Advanced IRS Collection Topics, ABA Section of Taxation, Washington, D.C. . May 2025
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'AALS Clinical Conference', Mid-Semester Feedback for Clinical Professors, American Association of Law Schools, Baltimore MD. April 2025
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'ATAX International Conference on Tax Administration', Tax Administration at the Intersection of Poverty, Debt and Financial Abuse – Interdisciplinary and International Perspectives, University of New South Wales Business School, Sydney, Australia. April 2025
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'ATO (Australian Tax Office) Invited Presentation', A comparative analysis of tax relief for victim-survivors in Australia and the United States, UNSW, Sydney. April 2025

Office:ÌýRm 135, John F. Scarpa Hall
Phone:Ìý610-519-3895
Courses and Seminars
- Federal Tax Clinic
Education
- Harvard University, JD
- Pomona College, BA