Pat Cain & Cliff Fleming Receive Inaugural AALS Tax Section Lifetime Achievement Awards

Patricia A. Cain (Santa Clara) and J. Clifton Fleming, Jr. (BYU; Google Scholar) receive the inaugural AALS Tax Section Lifetime Achievement Awards yesterday at the AALS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.: 

Santa Clara University School of Law: 

Professor Patricia "Pat" Cain has been selected to receive the Association of American Law Schools Tax Section Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award!

Professor Cain received outstanding praise from the AALS Tax Section, who wrote that, "Professor Patricia Cain, Professor of Law at Santa Clara University School of Law, is awarded the 2024 AALS Tax Section Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition for her outstanding contributions to federal tax policy, feminist legal theory, and LBGTQ advocacy. Over nearly 5 decades of dedicated law teaching and scholarship, Professor Cain has been a leading light in critical tax scholarship. One of the standout achievements in Professor Cain's illustrious career is her unwavering commitment to advancing the rights of LGBTQ taxpayers within the framework of tax law. Professor Cain's dedication to this cause is evident in her extensive body of work, which includes law review articles, essays, book reviews, and amicus briefs. Professor Cain’s extensive teaching career also demonstrates her commitment to legal education..."

Dean Michael Kaufman commented on her award, "On behalf of the entire Santa Clara Law community, I want to extend our congratulations to Patricia Cain for this incredible honor, rightly recognizing her extraordinary past and ongoing achievements as a transformative scholar, teacher, public servant, and trail blazer."

Please join us in congratulating Professor Cain on receiving this incredible honor.

BYU Law News, BYU Law Tax Professor J. Clifton Fleming Awarded AALS Lifetime Achievement Award:

BYU Law is pleased to announce longtime Professor J. Clifton Fleming, Jr., is one of two recipients of The Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Section on Taxation Lifetime Achievement Award. The inaugural award was presented to Professor Fleming yesterday during the 2024 Annual AALS Meeting in Washington, D.C.

“The award celebrates an individual’s profound impact on the field through their influential scholarship, policy advocacy, outstanding service to the academy, or their dedication to promoting the study of tax law, whether through educating their own students or by mentoring emerging scholars,” said Orly Mazur, Chair of the Executive Committee of the AALS Section of Taxation. “Professor Fleming easily meets and exceeds all of the criteria established for this award, and I want to extend a heartfelt congratulations on behalf of the entire Executive Committee of the AALS Section of Taxation.”

Professor Fleming joined the BYU Law faculty in 1974. The only still-serving member of the school’s original faculty, he currently teaches courses on U.S. and international tax law, European Union law and public international law. He served as BYU Law Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 1986 to 1999 and as Associate Dean for Faculty and Curriculum from 1999 to 2004. He was appointed to the Wilkinson Chair in 1998. From 1985 to 1986, he was Professor-in-Residence in the IRS Chief Counsel's Office in Washington, D.C.

“Professor Fleming’s influence as an educator, leader and taxation scholar have been integral to BYU Law’s success,” said BYU Law Dean David Moore. “His enthusiasm for and ability to teach complex legal principles is legendary; he sparks his students’ intellectual curiosity by emphasizing critical thinking and ethical values. His dedication to his students goes beyond preparing them for successful careers; he is equally passionate about guiding them toward fulfilling, purposeful lives.”

Over the past five decades, Professor Fleming has taught more than 1,000 students, published two treatises, two casebooks and more than 62 articles that have helped shape the transformative growth in tax law instruction. His academic and teaching career has spanned the globe. He has been a Fulbright visiting professor of law at the University of Nairobi; a visiting professor at the University of Queensland, Central European University in Budapest and Murdoch University School of Law in Perth; and holder of a visiting scholar chair at the University of Florida’s law school. In 2011, he held the Fulbright Distinguished Chair at the Vienna University of Economics and Business in Austria.

“I’m pleasantly stunned and greatly honored to receive this award, particularly in view of the number of worthy award candidates,” said Professor Fleming. “The love of teaching has been a guiding force throughout my career. It has allowed me to connect with students on a deeper level, and witness their growth and quest for knowledge, which in turn has inspired me to evolve as an educator.”