Student Profiles
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Samuel Astorga
Samuel Astorga received his J.D. from CU Boulder with an emphasis in tax in 2023. In Colorado, Sam never learned how to ski but learned how to be a tax attorney. He found his joy in law school helping his peers with partnership allocations, asking professors about treatises in office hours, and debating tax policy. His passion for tax led him to serve as a research assistant for his advisor, Sloan Speck, in his final year of law school. Samuel was not only a trailblazer at Colorado Law and was the first to take classes like Tax Writing and International Tax at the at CU’s business school, but he also advised and helped the aspiring tax attorneys in the class below him to do the same. During law school, he interned at the U.S. District Court of Colorado and Denver Probate Court. Prior to law school, Samuel earned his B.A. in History and a minor in Russian language at Occidental College. In his free time, Sam plays the banjo, cares for his family Chihuahua, Scout, and spends time with his friends enjoying the best strip mall cuisine the San Gabriel Valley has to offer. -
Aaron Cassini
Aaron Cassini attended the University of California Santa Barbara for undergrad, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Asian studies, graduating in 2020. During his time at Santa Barbara,
he also studied abroad in Japan, studying law and economics at Hitotsubashi University. After graduating from Santa Barbara, he attended Santa Clara University School of Law and earned his JD in May 2023. In his spare time, Aaron enjoys movies, reading, trying his hand at writing fiction, and distance running (for the sake of staying in shape)! -
Matthew Goff
Matt Goff received his J.D. from UC Irvine School of Law in 2023. During law school, Matt interned at the Department of Justice office of U.S. Trustee and at Baker Tilly, where he worked on a variety of M&A and corporate tax matters. He developed a passion for tax through his work experience and his tax coursework completed during his J.D. In his free time, Matt enjoys surfing, soccer and Brazilian jiu jitsu. -
Andreanna Kalasountas
Andreanna Kalasountas recently graduated from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Andreanna’s tax interest was sparked after taking a Tax Policy course in her second year of law school. Since then, Andreanna has interned at Indiana Legal Services Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, taken several other tax law classes, and written and presented her paper, “Ending the Multibillionaire,” at UC Berkeley’s Poverty Law Conference in March of 2023. As the title suggests, the paper advocates for ending the multibillionaire by utilizing a public nuisance theory, focusing on the multimillionaires’ perpetuation and abuse of an intentionally inaccessible legal system, with a focus on the tax system. In her time at UCI, Andreanna hopes to build on her tax knowledge to better advocate for structural tax policy change. In her free time, Andreanna enjoys anything that gets her moving, from weight-lifting and climbing to hikes with her dog. -
Matthew Ketcham
Matthew received his J.D. from UC Irvine School of Law in 2021. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Political Science from UNC Asheville. Matthew has worked as a development coordinator for an affordable housing nonprofit in Vermont. He interned at the UCI Law Consumer Law Clinic and International Justice Clinic. During law school, Matthew enjoyed taking International Taxation and Federal Income Tax. He was a co-chair of the UCI Law Business Law Society and Entertainment and Sports Law Society. Matthew served as a 3L Representative for the UCI Law Student Bar Association. He plays basketball and golf. -
Chae Yeon (Christy) Kim
Christy is a licensed California lawyer who received her J.D. from the George Washington University Law School in 2022 with a concentration in International Business Law. During her time in law school, Christy externed for the Ethics and Business Conduct Department at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington D.C. After moving to California last year, Christy worked at a law firm with a large public agency clientele, working mostly on transactional matters for local agencies involving California school districts and water districts. Christy majored in East Asian Studies and graduated from the University of Tokyo in 2017 with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts. In her spare time, Christy likes to catch a baseball game at the Angel Stadium or a movie at the theaters. You can also find her on the hunt for authentic Japanese food in the Orange County area.
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SeokWoo Kim
Mr. SeokWoo Kim has been serving as the Deputy Director of the National Tax Service in South Korea since 2018. He earned his Bachelor of Economics degree from Seoul National University in 2016 and his Bachelor of Laws degree from Korea Cyber University in 2023. Throughout his career, he has cultivated expertise in various aspects of taxation, including operating the tax system, conducting tax investigations, providing authoritative interpretations of tax law, and reviewing tax appeals. Building upon his career to date, he seeks to hone his practical skillset and academic foundations to become a competent tax professional and administrator through the Graduate Tax Program at UC Irvine Law School.
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Theodore (Ted) Malone
Ted Malone is a third-year law student at UC Irvine's School of Law. He grew up in Rochester, NY, and attended Boston College for his undergraduate, graduating with a B.A. in 2018. He plans to complete his J.D. in December 2023 and begin the Graduate Tax Program in the Spring Semester of 2024. He has previously worked in marketing, specializing in driving revenue for various emerging companies through digital advertising. In the summer of 2023, he worked at The Busch Firm in Irvine, CA, focusing on real estate-related transactional work. While there, he created summaries of senior and mezzanine hotel financing loans, presented to a client on relevant securities law for investment fund formation, and researched issues surrounding estate tax planning and gifting mechanisms. After UCI, he plans to return to New York to begin a career as a tax lawyer. -
Brian Safatian
Brian graduated with a J.D. from UCI in 2023. Brian’s favorite practical experience during that time was when he externed for the Honorable Judge Barry Russell in the Central District’s Bankruptcy Court. Brian knew, before attending law school, that he intended to specialize in tax, and his favorite course during the J.D. program was writing a research paper on Code Section 382 which details how corporations preserve Net Operating Losses upon a merger or other similar transaction. In addition to pursuing an LLM degree, Brian intends on sitting for all four parts of the CPA exam to help further refine his tax related skills. Outside of the academic context, Brian’s biggest goal is to complete and fully master learning the Talmud, which serves as the source of Jewish religious law. -
Andrew Sutton
Andrew Sutton received his J.D. from California Western School of Law in the Spring of 2023. During his time at Cal Western, Andrew enjoyed learning how to navigate the legal field through several internships, including his most recent experience at the Office of the United States Trustee. Andrew set his sights on a career in the tax industry after receiving his B.S. in Business Administration at the University of Utah, where he also played Varsity Lacrosse. During his free time, Andrew likes to spend time at dog beach with his family and officiate ice hockey.