Touro Law Student Volunteers Provide Free Tax Assistance in the Community
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Touro Law Student Volunteers Provide Free Tax Assistance in the Community
March 1, 2023Touro Law students are volunteering to provide free tax help to low- and moderate-income community members who need help preparing their tax returns through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. Through this public service project, sponsored by the United States Internal Revenue Service and overseen by Bethpage Federal Credit Union, more than 35 student volunteers have been trained and can file tax returns directly from the law school, a designated site for the program. Touro Law students have been involved in this program for more than a decade.
“Our students are combining classroom knowledge with specialized training to provide assistance to community members in need,” stated Dean Elena Langan. “The students are not only honing their skills in tax law but also in client relations. This is a great program for our students and the community members they serve.”
Touro Law’s VITA office is located at the Law Center at 225 Eastview Drive in Central Islip and operates on Tuesdays from 4:00 – 7:00 pm through April 4th. Clients are welcome to schedule appointments and request the Touro Law location via email at community@bethpagefcu.com or by calling (516) 349-4288.
Residents interested in participating in the program are asked to bring: photo identification; social security cards for individuals, spouses and family members; current year’s tax package if you received one, wage and earning statement(s) Form W-2, W-2G, 1099-R, from all employers; interest and dividend statements from banks (Forms 1099); a copy of last year’s Federal and State returns if available; bank routing numbers and account numbers for direct deposit; total paid for day care; day care providers identifying number. Please note: to file taxes electronically on a married filing joint tax return, both spouses must be present.
Cate Carbonaro, Director of Public Interest at Touro Law who is overseeing student participation and helping to administrate the program stated, “VITA is an incredibly important and vital program for the community. I am so proud that the Touro Law Center and our amazing law students have been able to coordinate and facilitate such an essential service right on our campus.”
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Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, located adjacent to both a state and a federal courthouse, is the only law school in Suffolk County, located in Central Islip, New York. Touro Law’s proximity to the courthouses and location in the center of a vibrant legal community, coupled with programming developed to integrate the courtroom into the classroom, provide a one-of-a kind learning experience for law students, combining a rigorous curriculum taught by expert faculty with a practical courtroom experience. Touro Law is dedicated to providing hands-on learning that enables students to gain experience while offering much-needed legal services in the community.
Touro Law, which has an alumni base of more than 6,500, offers full- and part-time JD programs where students can earn a degree in 2, 3 or 4 years and provides four areas of concentration Additionally, Touro offers a hybrid, four-year FlexTime JD Program combining online and on campus learning. Touro Law offers several dual degree programs and graduate law programs for US and foreign law graduates. Touro Law Center is part of Touro University.
Touro University – Touro University is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 19,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro has 35 campuses and locations in New York, California, Nevada, Illinois, Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and Touro University Nevada; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois are separately accredited institutions within Touro University. For more information, visit www.touro.edu.
Patti Desrochers
Director of Communications
pattid@tourolaw.edu
(631) 761-7062