Mitch Renfrew L’20 of Barkhamsted, CT, and Ryan Hartnett L’20 of Whitesboro, NY, won “Best Written Submission” at the national 19th Annual American Bar Association Law Student Tax Challenge. The competition was held during the Section of Taxation 2020 Midyear Tax Meeting in Boca Raton, FL (January 30-February 1).

The Western New England team was one of six finalists selected from more than 80 law schools nationwide to participate in the final J.D. Division rounds, where they presented oral arguments before a panel of distinguished tax lawyers and tax court judges.

This award-winning duo builds on a legacy of successful Tax Challenge teams coached by Professor Frederick Royal, a nationally renowned tax scholar and director of the LLM and Master’s in Elder Law and Estate Planning.

“Over the years, I have been very fortunate to coach a number of gifted student teams who have competed in the Student Tax Challenge,” explains Royal. “Our teams have done extremely well and have finished in first place twice, in second place twice, and have also won the prize for Best Written Submission twice. The performance of our teams clearly demonstrates the quality of the legal education that our students receive at Western New England University School of Law.”