Professor Adam Thimmesch

Adam Thimmesch Margaret R. Larson Professor of Law

Twitter Digital Commons SSRN

Biography

Adam Thimmesch, Margaret R. Larson Professor of Law, joined the faculty in 2012. His research focuses on state tax policy and the impact of modern technology and markets on existing legal structure and on the states and their residents. His research has been placed in a variety of legal publications, including the Arizona State Law Journal, the Denver Law Review, the Florida Tax Review, the Temple Law Review, the Utah Law Review, and the Virginia Tax Review. Professor Thimmesch frequently speaks at academic and professional conferences around the country and is active in national organizations. He has served as a member of the executive committee of the American Association of Law Schools’ Section on Taxation since 2019 and will be its Chair in 2022. Thimmesch also served as the reporter for the Uniform Law Commission’s study committee on online sales taxation in 2020. Professor Thimmesch regularly testifies before state legislative committees and provides advice to legislators and policy groups on state tax matters. Within the law school, Professor Thimmesch serves as the faculty director of the Law+Business program. In that role, Thimmesch provides advice and programming for students who are interested in transactional law or in careers outside of the traditional practice of law. He also works with outside partners to build opportunities for law students to pursue career paths in those fields. Professor Thimmesch currently teaches Individual Income Taxation, State and Local Taxation, and Taxation of Business Entities within the law school and Business Law for the Honors Academy at the College of Business. He was voted the Professor of the Year by upper class law students in 2013, 2017, and 2018 and received a College Distinguished Teaching Award in 2014 and 2022. Professor Thimmesch worked at Faegre & Benson LLP in Minneapolis before joining the College of Law. His legal practice focused on tax and business matters, including structuring and negotiating domestic and international transactions, advising on state, federal, and international tax matters, and handling tax disputes before the Internal Revenue Service and state taxing agencies. He received his J.D. with highest distinction in 2005 from the University of Iowa College of Law, where he was an Articles Editor on the Iowa Law Review.

Courses

Business Assocations Law 632/G (4 cr hr)
An introduction to the law of business associations. This course examines the relationships among the various participants in business entities and, to a lesser extent, the relationships between business entities and outsiders.

Corporate Finance Law 746/G (3 cr hr)
Introduction to the theories and applications of modern corporate finance. The course will explore a range of topics, including: valuation theories; the efficient capital market hypothesis; risk, return, the capital asset pricing model, and arbitrage pricing theory; investment and financing decisions; optimal capital structure; the role of classical finance theory in legal decisions; and option theory. Prerequisite: Business Associations or permission of instructor.

Taxation - Individual Income Tax Law 637/G (4 cr hr)
Introduction to the structure and content of the federal income tax system, focusing primarily on taxation of individuals. Material covered includes the concept of income, deductions, income splitting, capital gains, and tax accounting. The course will attempt to give the student some technical proficiency in solving tax problems as well as an understanding of the tax policy decisions implicit in the technical rules.

Taxation - State and Local Law 692/G (3 cr hr)
This course covers how state and local governments raise revenues and how the U.S. Constitution limits their choices. We will look specifically at how the evolution of interstate commerce (and specifically electronic commerce) has impacted state and local governments and how those governments are seeking new ways to finance themselves. We will also look at the structure of state income, sales, and property taxes. Students interested in public policy, state and local government, or issues of federalism will likely enjoy the class. Students need not have taken (or particularly enjoyed) any previous tax course to enroll or succeed in this course. Student grade is based on class participation and on one final examination.

Corporate Tax Law 638/G (3 cr hr)
Advanced federal income tax focusing on income taxation of corporations and shareholders. Pre-requisite: Individual Income Tax

Articles

Tax Privacy?,  Temp. L. Rev. (2018)

Taxing Honesty,  118 W. Va. L. Rev. 147. (2016)

The Tax Hangover: Trailing Nexus,  33 VA. Tax Rev. 497 (2014)

The Illusory Promise of Economic Nexus,  13 Fla. Tax Rev. 157 (2012)

The Fading Bright Line of Physical Presence: Did KFC Corporation v. Iowa Department of Revenue Give States the Secret Recipe for Repudiating Quill?,  100 Kentucky L.J. 339 (2012)

Beyond Treble Damages: Hanover Shoe and Direct Purchaser Suits after Comes v. Microsoft Corp.,  90 Iowa L. Rev. 1649 (2005)

Books

Other
Date: 
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Media
Other

Iowa Expands Renewable Fuel Incentives,  Ethanol Producer Magazine, July 2011

Iowa Decision Upholds Tax Assessment Against Out-of-State Franchisor,  Law Journal Newsletter's Franchising Business & Law Alert, February 2011

Iowa Tax Case Could Cost Nation’s Franchises,  Franchising World, September 2010

IRS May Lengthen Depreciation Schedule for Ethanol Plants—But Relief is Possible,  Ethanol Producer Magazine, December 2009

Education

J.D., highest distinction, 2005, University of Iowa College of Law
B.S., magna cum laude, 2002, Oklahoma State University

Areas of Expertise

Appointments

Professor of Law, 2020
Associate Professor of Law, 2017
Assistant Professor of Law, 2012