Working for the IRS was not something Mehrin Bakht ’19 envisioned when she enrolled at Hofstra Law — she hadn’t thought much about tax returns before law school. As a first-year law student, Mehrin didn’t believe she had the confidence to be a litigator, but support from the Office of Career Services changed her career outlook.
“The Office of Career Services at Hofstra Law helped me realize I am capable of being a litigator,” she says. “I am a first-generation attorney. I had no lawyer-mentors outside of law school, so the guidance I received from Career Services was extremely important to me.”
Mehrin received her first internship through Hofstra Law’s partnership with PILC. That internship was with Municipal Employees’ Legal Services, working in matrimonial law. It was during this internship that Mehrin learned more about tax returns as she encountered them in matrimonial matters. The following summer, she interned with the IRS’s Office of Chief Counsel through their Summer Legal Internship Program, at the end of which she received an offer for a full-time position after graduation through their Chief Counsel Honors Program.
Now, an attorney with IRS’s Office of Chief Counsel in their Self-Employed and Small Business Division, Mehrin helps guide the IRS on legal issues involved with examinations and audits, and represents the IRS in federal tax court. “I didn’t have any tax experience before working at the IRS,” she says. “They’re teaching me everything I need to know.”
“What people don’t realize is that there’s more to working at the IRS than just tax law. You get to learn about administrative law, compliance, negotiation, contracts, and litigation,” she says. “There are many different aspects of the law that are involved.”
Mehrin looks forward to being able to appear in court in person once the pandemic is over, but she’s happy to be working where she is. “I like working for the government. I feel my role is to determine what is right, rather than just taking a side and billing hours. You get to litigate something you’re passionate about and get to the right answer,” she says.
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