Richard Lavoie is an Associate Professor of Law at The University of Akron School of Law. His areas of scholarly interest are tax ethics and statutory interpretation. He currently teaches courses in individual taxation; business associations; and commercial paper. Prior to joining the Akron Law faculty in 2005, Professor Lavoie was a visiting professor at the University of Texas, Northwestern University, Syracuse University and Capital University. He was also an associate professor of Washburn University. He is admitted to the New York Bar. Professor Lavoie received his A.B., cum laude, from Dartmouth College; J.D., cum laude, from Cornell University, where he was a member of the Cornell International Law Journal; and LL.M. in Taxation from New York University. He is the author of numerous publications on tax compliance and ethics issues, including Flying Above the Law and Under the Radar: Instilling a Taxpaying Ethos in Those Playing by Their Own Rules, 29 PACE L. REV. 637 (2009) and Problems in Tax Ethics (WEST AMERICAN CASEBOOK SERIES, with Donald Tobin & Richard Trogolo) (2009).
Articles
Patriotism and Taxation: The Tax Compliance Implications of the Tea Party Movement, Loy. L.A. L. Rev. (2011)
Given the rise of the Tea Party movement, which draws strength from the historical linkage...
Flying Above the Law and Under the Radar: Instilling a Taxpaying Ethos in Those Playing by Their Own Rules, PACE L. REV. (2009)
Analyzing the Schizoid Agency: Achieving the Proper Balance in Enforcing the Internal Revenue Code, AKRON TAX J. (2008)
Activist or Automaton: The Institutional Need to Reach a Middle Ground in American Jurisprudence, ALBANY L. REV. (2005)
Making a List and Checking It Twice: Must Tax Attorneys Divulge Who’s Naughty and Nice?, UC DAVIS L. REV. (2004)
Books
Problems in tax ethics (with Donald B. Tobin and Richard Trogolo) (2009)
This book deals with the ethical issues and problems facing tax lawyers and tax professionals,...
Unpublished Papers
Am I My Brother’s Keeper? A Tax Law Perspective on the Challenge of Balancing Gatekeeping Obligations and Zealous Advocacy in the Legal Profession, ExpressO (2012)
In recent years the question of whether lawyers have a general ethical obligation to serve...