Innovative Study Aid for Wealth Transfer Taxation Courses

Alexandra Klein (attorney, New York), with the assistance of Aejaz Dar (attorney, New York) and Mitchell M. Gans (Steven A. Horowitz Distinguished Professor of Tax Law, Hofstra University), has recently published The Estate and Gift Tax Map — Federal Estate and Gift Taxation for Law Students 2008-2009 (Thomson West).

As described by the publisher:

This work is as a study tool for learning about the estate and gift tax provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. It visually presents the concepts of the Code in clear and logical graphics that show the tax system as a whole and the relationships between its component parts.

The “map” is actually a large poster (36″ x 28″ and suitable for wall display) which uses a flow chart approach for explaining the federal gift and estate tax (but not the generation-skipping transfer tax).  I think this study aid is highly effective in presenting the basics — it is concise and easy to follow.  Of course, the finer points are omitted and the map contains a clear warning that the map is not a substitute for a detailed study of the law.

To read a student’s review of the map, see Derek Tokaz, An NYU Law Grad Discovers the Real Money In in Study Aids, Not Law Firms, Commentator, March 13, 2008, at 6.