Faculty Profile: Mary Gillum

Ms. Gillum is the Director of the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands' Low Income Taxpayer Clinic program, also known as the Tennessee Taxpayer Project. Ms. Gillum helped launch the Legal Aid Society's Low Income Taxpayer Clinic through an Equal Justice Works Fellowship. Since 2000, the Legal Aid Society's Low Income Taxpayer Clinic has provided a high volume of quality legal representation to low-income taxpayers throughout all 95 counties in Tennessee. The Project is the only LITC providing representation on IRS controversies in 91 of Tennessee's 95 counties. Since its inception, the Project's LITC Program has represented over 3,880 taxpayers throughout Tennessee, providing them with a financial benefit of $22,616,044. As counsel in the Marlow v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo 2010-13, Vinatieri v. Commissioner, 133 T.C. No. 16 (2009) and Lantz v. Commissioner, 607 F.3d 479 (7th Cir. 2010), rev'g, 132 T.C. 131 (2009), the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic's advocacy has left an indelible mark on the innocent spouse and collection landscapes. In sum, the Project has sought to ensure fairness and integrity within the tax system. With a bilingual staff, it has provided effective outreach and education to English as a Second Language (ESL) taxpayers in all 95 counties.