V. Judson Klein Award

• Citation: Vol. 28 No. 1
• Publication year: 2019
• Author: By Betty Williams

V. Judson Klein Award

By Betty Williams

Receiving the V. Judson Klein award for 2018 was a true honor within a profession that has already given me so much, including valuable relationships and life experiences.

I didn't always want to be a tax attorney, or an attorney in any area of practice. I wasn't raised around lawyers, nor was I pressured by my parents to have career aspirations from an early age. After high school, I obtained my bachelor's degree in Business Administration, but I did not attend law school for several years. After staying home with my children for 3-1/2 years, time I thoroughly cherished, I was ready for a more intellectual challenge. I considered court reporting, but when I called the local school, the line was busy. I next dialed a law school, and fortunately for me, someone at the law school answered!

I began working part-time in the Estate Planning Department at a law firm in Sacramento during my first year of law school and stayed with that firm after I passed the bar. It was then that I first experienced State Bar Taxation Section events and got involved with the standing committees.

My boss at the time, Robin Klomparens, "recommended" that I participate in the Young Tax Lawyers...