The 603 Legal Aid Low-Income Taxpayer Project (LITP) welcomed its first ever summer intern last month. Brien Miceli will work closely with Barbara Heggie and the rest of the 603 Legal Aid team for 10 weeks referring tax cases, helping with pro bono services, and attending legal trainings and outreach events before he returns to the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law in the fall as a 2L.
After obtaining his undergraduate degree in Economics and Mathematics from Franklin and Marshall College in 2017, Brien decided to change his career direction and go to law school.
“Being able to work in public interest was one of my priorities,” he said.
Brien met Barbara Heggie, who is the supervising attorney for the Low-Income Taxpayer Project, at a public interest job fair in January. He has past experience volunteering with the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, with which the LITP works closely.
“Brien is a wonderfully helpful addition to the Low-Income Taxpayer Project team,” said Barbara. “He’s smart, creative, and hard-working, and he has a personable manner that’s both professional and approachable. So far this summer, he’s referred several tax clinic cases to volunteer attorneys and accountants, gamely handled a variety of outreach events, and worked one-on-one with some of our most vulnerable clients. We feel lucky to have Brien bring his background in economics and his interest in business and financial law.”
Speaking with Brien after his first few weeks at 603 Legal Aid, he says that he likes working with the staff.
“I enjoy the passion of the people here,” he said. “Everyone is very solution focused.”
Brien will be taking classes in income tax law next semester, so he is excited to get some hands-on experience during his internship.
“New Hampshire has a large low-income population,” said Brien. “And doing taxes can be incredibly complicated for them. 603 Legal Aid is a crucial institution in our state in that it offers a cost-free solution for those who need help.”
