Was that an old file photo of Gerry Spence I saw on ABC News last night? Was the famed litigator really refusing a chance to comment on national television? What's going on?
Well, it's tax time, and Peter Jennings is in the midst of a scathing and scornful series on legal tax dodges. Mr. Spence found himself on the national hot seat.
Why?
Spence's Trial Lawyers College sits on 200 plus acres of land in DuBois, Wyoming. The land is stunning in beauty. It was once part of much larger ranch Spence owned.
He created a public trust for the land on which college sits and enjoys the tax advantage of having done so. He also enjoys complete control over the property, presiding over a hand-picked board over which he serves as the first among equals, a polite medieval way of saying what Gerry wants, Gerry gets.
The question for ABC News was whether this is the sort of charitable entity contemplated by the law. ABC concluded no needy people benefit. Who does, then? Well, for starters, Mr. Spence. Tax savings for the litigator? Four million dollars.
I spent many weeks on the ranch in the late 1990s and enjoyed almost every minute. But I hardly count myself as among the destitute and forlorn in need of a charitable handout.
Bad press for the Trial Lawyers College. Perhaps it can turn this negative into a positive. Create a new curriculum. Call it the Tax Lawyers College and offer programs on high-rent tax avoidance. There's nothing wrong with preaching what you practice.
