I had AY for his intro to taxation of businesses in the fall of 2009. If you haven’t taken a tax class before this one, you might feel a little lost because Avi-Yonah talks fast and goes over the material fast. However, much of what he talks about in class isn’t necessary to know. He mainly just lectures, no cold-calling, and often cuts class 10-20 minutes short. It’s pretty laid back. The exam had 3 questions, and he told us what kinds of questions he would ask (one transaction type question, one choice of business entity questions, one corporate tax policy question). Buying the case book was pretty much a waste.
I had AY for international tax during the winter of 2010. Despite the fact that it can be difficult to understand what he is talking about at times (because he goes over stuff very quickly and sometimes does not explain some small but important rule or fact), he is one of my favorite prof’s at UM. He doesn’t waste time with material or questions that do not really matter for the class. He talks a lot about real life transactions he has worked on and other well-known transactions and their tax implications. He really loves tax, and that makes it easy to sit through his lectures. It also doesn’t hurt that he ends class early on a regular basis. His exams are fairly easy. He gives you a pretty good idea of exactly what will be on them. Open book, internet allowed. His past distributions look very favorable. He is one of the most well-known tax law scholars in the US. Great guy. Recommended.
I took intro to business taxation in 2022 and pretty much agree with the person who took AY in fall 2009, still holds up. He talks very fast and honestly, the material might be a bit too basic for him. When anyone asked questions, he was constantly referring back to the problems in the book and told us to find answers there, and otherwise not to worry about the information bc it wouldn’t be on the exam. The class was super easy, doesn’t matter if you show up or not really. No cold calling or attendance. He’s out the door as soon as the last word of the lecture leaves his mouth. I didn’t learn much of anything in the class lol
Do not take this class. You will not learn anything. If it’s uncurved, he usually gives out all As but if it isn’t (like my year) then you’ll get to the exam knowing nothing. He goes on so many tangents that the lectures are impossible to follow and it is so unclear what is going to be on the exam. The exams lazily written so it’s a crapshoot on whether you will do well.
I had AY for international tax. Do not take this class if it is uncurved. The lectures are at best incoherent and at worst completely incomprehensible. He does usually end class 20 minutes early which is nice.
MLaw Prof Reviews
I had AY for his intro to taxation of businesses in the fall of 2009. If you haven’t taken a tax class before this one, you might feel a little lost because Avi-Yonah talks fast and goes over the material fast. However, much of what he talks about in class isn’t necessary to know. He mainly just lectures, no cold-calling, and often cuts class 10-20 minutes short. It’s pretty laid back. The exam had 3 questions, and he told us what kinds of questions he would ask (one transaction type question, one choice of business entity questions, one corporate tax policy question). Buying the case book was pretty much a waste.
I had AY for international tax during the winter of 2010. Despite the fact that it can be difficult to understand what he is talking about at times (because he goes over stuff very quickly and sometimes does not explain some small but important rule or fact), he is one of my favorite prof’s at UM. He doesn’t waste time with material or questions that do not really matter for the class. He talks a lot about real life transactions he has worked on and other well-known transactions and their tax implications. He really loves tax, and that makes it easy to sit through his lectures. It also doesn’t hurt that he ends class early on a regular basis. His exams are fairly easy. He gives you a pretty good idea of exactly what will be on them. Open book, internet allowed. His past distributions look very favorable. He is one of the most well-known tax law scholars in the US. Great guy. Recommended.
Really nice professor and always ends class early. He’s a big deal in the tax world too. Would recommend his classes.
Currently a second-semester 3L. I have had many good professors at Michigan Law. AY is hands down the best prof I’ve had.
I took intro to business taxation in 2022 and pretty much agree with the person who took AY in fall 2009, still holds up. He talks very fast and honestly, the material might be a bit too basic for him. When anyone asked questions, he was constantly referring back to the problems in the book and told us to find answers there, and otherwise not to worry about the information bc it wouldn’t be on the exam. The class was super easy, doesn’t matter if you show up or not really. No cold calling or attendance. He’s out the door as soon as the last word of the lecture leaves his mouth. I didn’t learn much of anything in the class lol
Do not take this class. You will not learn anything. If it’s uncurved, he usually gives out all As but if it isn’t (like my year) then you’ll get to the exam knowing nothing. He goes on so many tangents that the lectures are impossible to follow and it is so unclear what is going to be on the exam. The exams lazily written so it’s a crapshoot on whether you will do well.
I had AY for international tax. Do not take this class if it is uncurved. The lectures are at best incoherent and at worst completely incomprehensible. He does usually end class 20 minutes early which is nice.