Melissa Skilliter is Director of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) in the Columbus office, a position she has held since 2008. Through the LITC, she handles tax controversies with the IRS, including U.S. Tax Court cases, examinations, and other cases before the IRS. She joined SEOLS in 2005 as a staff attorney in the Zanesville office.

Melissa says that she enjoys assisting taxpayers with navigating the complexities of the IRS and federal tax law. “I didn’t expect to be practicing tax law when I was in school, but I find it so rewarding. Most people find dealing with the IRS to be terrifying and confusing. I get to help them enforce their rights as taxpayers and to help them understand the process.”

Bar & Court Admissions

• State of Ohio
  
• United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
  
• United States Tax Court
  

Bar Activities

• Member of Access to Justice Committee, Ohio State Bar Association
  
• Member, Ohio State Bar Association Leadership Academy, Class of 2011
  
• Member, American Bar Association, Taxation Section
  

Publications

• Co-Author, Effectively Representing Your Client Before the IRS, 6th ed., Chapter 17: “Spotting Statute of Limitations Issues in Assessment Matters.”
• “Know How to Answer a Complaint,” Ohio State Bar Association’s “Law You Can Use” Series, March 2011, rev. December 2015.
  

Education

• Bowling Green State University (B.A. in political science, magna cum laude, 2001)
  
• Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., 2004)
  
• Villanova University School of Law (LL.M., 2018)
  

Personal

Melissa grew up in Plain City, Ohio in Union County. She currently lives in central Ohio with her husband and two children.