In 2024, we welcome a new student initiative at the University of Mannheim – the Tax Law Clinic Mannheim. Due to the planned amendment to the Tax Consultancy Act (StBerG) on May 1, 2024, students in Germany will soon be able to provide tax advice free of charge. This was the reason for the founders of the Mannheim Tax Law Clinic to join forces and set up the first student tax consultancy at the University of Mannheim.
The concept of law clinics, which provide free advice in various areas of law such as civil and immigration law, has been established since 2008. They have long played an important role in legal education by offering students the opportunity to work on real cases while providing free legal support to communities in need.
Free tax advice analogous to the existing legal advice has not yet been possible, as the current legal framework does not yet allow this. The intended amendment to the StBerG will now bring it into line with the Legal Services Act (RDG) and at the same time legalize free assistance in tax matters. The origin of this liberalization lies in the efforts of the vfs Hannover, which initiated and significantly promoted the amendment of the law.
In practice, the Tax Law Clinic Mannheim will focus on providing tax advice to students. Students can turn to the Tax Law Clinic Mannheim with questions such as “Do I have to submit a tax return?” or “Can I deduct the travel costs to my internship?”. In addition to the advice offered, active members of the Law Clinic have the opportunity to gain independent experience in tax advice and develop solutions to real cases in a protected environment under the supervision of professionals. In addition, workshops and training events are offered in cooperation with tax consulting firms to teach the areas of tax law.
The Tax Law Clinic was founded by Verena Siudek, Julia Decker, Franziska Stoll and Anna Langfermann. The founders have references to tax law in their CVs and would like to help students without prior tax knowledge. They also see the Tax Law Clinic as an excellent meeting place for tax enthusiasts and those who want to become one. For the University of Mannheim, the newly founded initiative represents a link between the business administration and law courses in Mannheim, which should deepen interdisciplinary cooperation in the future.
The founders introduce themselves:
Hi, I'm Verena and I'm currently studying for a Master's degree in Management. I have been a tax clerk since 2018 and, following my vocational training, I completed a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a focus on tax and auditing. I spend my free time doing a variety of activities, including running.
My name is Julia and I am studying corporate law. During my Bachelor's degree, I focused on the areas of tax, accounting and insolvency law. I like to spend my free time in the mountains and on my racing bike between the vineyards of the Palatinate and Rheinhessen.
Hi, I'm Franziska and I'm doing the Mannheim Master in Management with a focus on marketing and sales. I completed my Bachelor's degree in Economics at the Goethe University in Frankfurt. During my Bachelor's degree and the gap year between Bachelor's and Master's, I worked in the tax sector. At the Tax Law Clinic Mannheim, I am the contact person for marketing and HR topics.
I, Anna, started studying business administration after completing my training as a tax clerk in order to further my professional education. I'm in my fourth bachelor's semester, so I've already taken a few accounting and tax modules. To balance things out, I like to go to floorball training or the gym.
