Federal Income Taxation, a Law Student's Guide to the Leading Cases and Concepts (Concepts and Insights Series)

Even if you don't take to his "burdened genius" persona, it won't prevent you from seeing new ways of looking at concepts in addition what your casebook provides. He wrote this as a "universal supplement," and has taken care to avoid a retread of any of the major texts.

Unlike previous editions, according to the author, this one has a Q & A section at the end of every chapter. They're useful exercises, especially since they have answers and explanations, unlike most casebooks.


As advertised   January 28, 2001
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

This book comes as advertised. It's a clear, succinct, helpful, and occasionally witty introduction to the law of federal income taxation. Chirelstein has a rare talent for making the sometime inscrutable rules of tax law accessible to even the most tax-phobic law student. Particularly useful are his examples (even his charts and numbers are easy and helpful!) and "Loose ends," in which he ties up a particular chapter or subchapter with some point of clarification that makes so much sense you're just sure your professor is going to have something about it on the exam. Which also bears a point of warning: law professors read it too! Beware of using it as your principal text, as, thorough as it is, the book does not cover all the cases and doctrines of tax law. I know firsthand that clever professors can and do write Chirelstein-proof exams.


A useful introduction   April 18, 2000
 6 out of 8 found this review helpful

This book is a useful introduction to some of the principal concepts of the U.S. tax law. I recommend it to law students, young tax lawyers and other professionals that need to develop a good foundation of basic tax law concepts. The framework this title will help you develop will be of great assistance in learning how to think about tax issues and understanding more specialized areas of the law.