Campus News

Top tax scholar joins School of Law faculty

Polsky
Gregg Polsky

Gregg D. Polsky has joined the law school’s faculty this fall as the Francis Shackelford Distinguished Professor in Taxation Law.

Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge said Polsky embodies the sort of world-class scholar and first-rate teacher who will help advance UGA’s commitment to excellence.

His teaching expertise includes tax, private equity and an innovative course on business basics for lawyers. He is the co-author of the casebook Federal Income Taxation: Cases and Materials. His other key works include “A Compendium of Private Equity Tax Games” in 146 Tax Notes 615 (Feb. 2, 2015), “Acqui-hiring” in 63 Duke Law Journal 281 (2013) and “Taxing Punitive Damages” in 96 Virginia Law Review 1295 (2010).

Polsky, whose work has been profiled in The Wall Street Journal and cited in The New York Times and other media outlets, said he strives to write and research in areas that have significance with practicing lawyers and policymakers.

“I want to research the issues that tax practitioners in private practice and in the government are thinking about so that my work will have real-world impact,” he said.

In part his specialty was established during his time as a Professor in Residence in the IRS Office of Chief Counsel in Washington, D.C. During the 2007-2008 academic year, Polsky worked on a variety of projects that stimulated his interest in the tax issues of private equity, venture capital and hedge funds.

He said his current research is not results oriented with a predetermined goal or result.

“I just want to find the right conceptual and practical approach regardless of who benefits—the government or the taxpayer,” said Polsky, who also likes the way that tax law is so pervasive.

“It affects everything-policy discussions, distributional issues, administrative concerns,” he said. “It is a fascinating puzzle, and I am looking to promote good policy results.”

Polsky regularly engages in consulting and expert witness activities relating to tax and business issues. He often incorporates these experiences into his classroom to put the lessons into real-life context.

Previously, Polsky was the Willie Person Magnum Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina School of Law. He also has served on the law faculties of the University of Minnesota and Florida State University.

He earned his J.D. and his LL.M. in taxation from the University of Florida. Before joining the legal academy, he practiced tax and business law in the Miami office of White & Case.