Exploring International Taxation law with Professor Reuven Avi-Yonah

4 min read

Taxes make the modern world go round. They are part of the social contract that ensures nations invest in their people, infrastructure and critical services. As such, taxation is dynamic and constantly evolving to reflect the values and needs of our times.

IE Law School, consistently at the cutting edge, recognized that the ever-changing nature of the field called for an even more intentional approach to tax law education. As a result, the International Taxation specialization was born, offered as one of four distinct focus areas within the acclaimed Master of Laws (LL.M.) program.

Bilateral or multilateral: which wins out?

Since its launch, this specialization has become a hub for discussion, debate and new ideas. It has also availed many exciting and enriching learning opportunities for students of the program, both inside and outside the classroom. One such event was a workshop that brought together some of the biggest names in international taxation, held at IE University’s María de Molina Campus.

The workshop, titled “A New International Tax Order. From Bilateralism to Multilateralism”, was a groundbreaking deep dive into the current International Tax Regime (ITR), which underpins global trade and commerce. Participants explored the prevailing bilateral system and what the proposed move to a more multilateral structure could mean for overall tax competition policy, as well as the popular Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) strategies employed by multinational firms to minimize their global tax burden.

After the welcome address from Dean Soledad Atienza, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah provided a thought-provoking keynote speech on the history of international taxation and the various roadblocks to a multilateral dispensation. A renowned global thought leader in corporate and international tax law, and the Irwin I. Cohn Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School, Reuven has made an indelible mark on the legal profession.

Later, a decorated panel of experts—including Johanna Jacobsson, Félix Daniel Martínez, Juan J. Zornoza and Andres Báez—added to the discussion in an informative round table. IE Law School’s International Tax Law professor, Giulio Allevato, moderated the event.

Shifting tides in global tax law

In the last 10 years, there’s been what I call an international tax revolution, says Reuven.

And he would know: after a long, illustrious career spent working with some of the most important institutions in the world, including the US Department of the Treasury, the OECD (The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) and more, Reuven has seen plenty of trends come and go in the global tax landscape.

Reuven started out as a classically trained historian, specializing in the medieval history of Spain. In fact, his PhD thesis was based on his research and translation of Aristotle in Toledo. It was this background, which heavily involved deciphering complex texts, that provided an unlikely springboard into the world of taxation. “I was attracted to tax law because it’s the most complicated area of law,” he says, adding, “Within tax law, international tax law and corporate tax law are the most complicated areas.”

He says that a similar predisposition to complexity and creative thinking is key to excelling as a tax lawyer. He explains that “If somebody likes working out puzzles or trying to read complicated documents,” they could make a successful career in an area that is constantly changing “more rapidly than any other field of law.”

The themes of change and transformation have become a defining element of Reuven’s time in academia. His keystone address at the workshop, complemented by a recently published paper, both follow a similar motif. According to Reuven, the “international tax revolution” has been a long time coming. Since the famous 1923 report on double taxation, the ITR had barely gone through any meaningful updates before the BEPS Project—an OECD-led initiative that began over a decade ago—and has only recently culminated in 130 countries ratifying a new, stricter framework aimed at curtailing global tax avoidance. “This is a very interesting time to be practicing international tax law,” he asserts.

Counting the benefits

Studying International Taxation law is a fast track to a stable career that promises longevity, impact and options to specialize further once students use their law degree to find their niche. “I don’t think that international tax lawyers need to be particularly worried about being displaced by something like ChatGPT,” says Reuven. After all, as long as there are taxes, there will always be a need for tax lawyers.

In this unique specialization, students master all the tools they need to develop, structure and manage tax strategy. Through a practical, comparative approach, they gain a broad view of the tax landscape across different jurisdictions and understand how technology and different tax frameworks affect global business models along with the operations of multinational companies.

But apart from academic considerations, the International Taxation specialization has the potential to completely alter a student’s career trajectory. IE Law School’s prestige attracts the best legal minds, allowing it to build an impressive global network of top practitioners, academics and thought leaders. Consequently, students have endless opportunities to network with some of the most influential figures in the legal sector. They do this through regular events such as this workshop, as well as a jam-packed roster of talks, competitions, real-world projects and many more such extracurriculars.

IE Law School is committed to keeping an open line of communication between students, faculty and the legal world. This focus on continuous, up-to-date conversation with relevant stakeholders means that the International Taxation specialization—and the Master of Laws (LL.M.) as a whole—will only keep getting better and more responsive to the needs of an ever-evolving sector.