Cara McClellan (J.D. ’24) was 51 when she quit her job and started law school.
While her colleagues at TTI, an electronics-components distributor, were supportive of her decision, McClellan joked that they probably thought she was having a mid-life crisis.
“The thought of changing careers at 51 was pretty terrifying,” admitted McClellan.
The company was dealing with complex privacy laws, and McClellan, an IT project manager, found herself working closely with the legal team to create a data privacy program.
As McClellan researched the new data privacy laws, her curiosity took over: She wanted to know the reasoning behind how statutes were written and how best to interpret them. She also began to research master's degree programs in data privacy until someone suggested she go to law school instead.
“It was difficult to imagine quitting my job to spend another three years in law school, so I just took it one step at a time: I signed up for and took the LSAT. I applied for admission. Then I got accepted and sent in my deposit,” said McClellan.
McClellan, a lifelong learner, holds a master’s degree in business administration and a graduate certificate in Cybersecurity Management, both from Auburn University. When it comes to law, she picked Georgia State University College of Law because of its favorable rankings and convenient location.
“Throughout my career, I have been drawn to solving problems that demand a detail-oriented solution,” explained McClellan, who discovered a passion for tax law after taking a class on basic federal income tax.
In addition to being a full-time student, McClellan spent four semesters serving as a student attorney at the Philip C. Cook Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic. She gained practical experience assisting clients with tax issues, including writing compromise offers, appeal memos and working with the IRS. One case argument led to her client getting $11,000 in child tax credits.
“My experience in the clinic has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done career-wise and solidified my decision to pursue a career in tax law.”
Her mentor, Conner Watts (J.D. '17), a clinical supervising attorney for the clinic, was a valuable resource. Watts acted as McClellan’s supervisor for each of the semesters she worked at the clinic.
“He gave me the responsibility and freedom to decode the tax issues affecting my clients while also guiding me in effectively communicating with both my clients and the IRS,” said McClellan.
“Cara has consistently gone the extra mile throughout law school. As a student in the Tax Clinic, she proved again and again that she can obtain favorable results for her clients. I have no doubt that this will continue well into her legal career,” said Watts.
In addition to her time in the Tax Clinic, McClellan launched the Tax Law Society in Spring 2023. McClellan served as the student organization’s first president, and in that first year, they hosted multiple events, including a career panel and a “meet-the-professor,” event.
“There was such a great group of my classmates in the tax classes, and no organization for us,” said McClellan about her idea. “I have enjoyed getting to know [my classmates] inside and outside of our tax classes and clinic. I can’t wait to see all they accomplish.”
McClellan described her first tax law class as the “last puzzle piece” of identifying what she wanted to do after law school. After graduation, McClellan will be moving to France – temporarily – while she studies for the bar. After she sits for the bar, she’s going back to school to obtain her Master of Laws degree in Taxation at New York University. Her long-term goal is to work for a firm that specializes in domestic or international tax planning.
“Tax law gives me the opportunity to deconstruct and analyze the tax code, decoding it to find a solution for my client. I am also drawn to tax law because it affects every person and every company in the country.”
Written by Alexandra Shimalla