Sienna White, ’15 J.D., Wins Two National Writing Competitions

The Theodore Tannenwald Jr. Foundation for Excellence in Tax Scholarship and The International Fiscal Association (IFA) both recently announced Sienna White, ’15 J.D., as the first-prize winner of their national legal writing competitions. White’s paper — Cost Sharing Agreement & The Arm’s Length Standard: A Matter of Statutory Interpretation? — was entered into the Tannenwald Writing Competition and IFA Writing Competition and won against numerous high-quality papers from students representing law schools throughout the country. Her paper will also be published in the Florida Tax Review.

“Sienna fully engaged with difficult tax topics, demonstrated diligence and insight, and showed an extraordinary ability to understand and analyze tax law,” said Notre Dame Law School Professor Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, who was White’s faculty sponsor for the competitions and mentor through the process. “She was the first person to criticize her own work. She was surprised that her paper won, although I was not. She will undoubtedly be an excellent lawyer.”

White is currently an associate at Jones Day in Chicago and practices corporate law, with a focus on capital markets, corporate governance, and federal securities law. Her capital markets practice includes public and private equity and debt offerings, including IPOs, Rule 144A offerings, tender offers, and exchange offers. She also regularly advises public companies on corporate governance, securities laws, stock exchange rules and regulations, and periodic reporting responsibilities.

“Winning both of these writing competitions is an enormous honor,” White said. “It’s wonderful to have my hard work and passionate interest recognized. I couldn’t be happier.”

The Tannenwald Writing Competition is the leading national competition for student-written papers focused on tax law, Mayer said. The competition, co-sponsored by the Tannenwald Foundation and The American College of Tax Counsel, is named for Theodore Tannenwald Jr., the late tax court judge. It honors high-quality legal scholarship on federal or state tax-related topics. Presentation of the $5,000 prize for first place will be Jan. 30, 2016, at the American College of Tax Counsel Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

The IFA focuses on the study and advancement of international and comparative law in regard to public finance, specifically international and comparative fiscal law and the financial and economic aspects of taxation. Presentation of the $2,000 prize for first place will be Feb. 26, 2016, at the Annual Meeting of the IFA USA Branch in Miami.

Two other NDLS alumni have won top honors in the Tannenwald Writing Competition in recent years. Christopher Wray, ’13, J.D., earned first place in 2012. Wray is an associate at Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. in Kansas City. Kathryn A. Fuehrmeyer, ’03 B.A., ’08 J.D., earned first place in 2008. Fuehmeyer is an attorney with Deloitte in New York.