Chris Sprysak, BCOM (Alberta), CPA-CA, LLB (Alberta), LLM (New York)

Area of Study / Keywords

Taxation law and policy accounting for lawyers professional responsibility and legal ethics

About

Professor Chris Sprysak holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Alberta and a Master of Laws (International Taxation) from New York University, where he studied as a Fulbright Scholar. During his studies, he has received numerous academic awards and scholarships including: a Fulbright Scholarship, the Governor General’s Silver Medal, the Horace Harvey Gold Medal in Law, and the Dr. Hu Harries Gold Medal in Business. He also obtained his Chartered Accountants’ designation in 1995 and was called to Alberta Bar in 1999. Prior to joining the Faculty of Law, Professor Sprysak practiced as an accountant with Price Waterhouse (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) and as a taxation lawyer with Felesky Flynn LLP.

Professor Sprysak’s teaching and research interests are primarily in taxation law and policy and he teaches (or has taught) the following courses for the Faculty in this area: Taxation Law, Estate Planning, Corporate Taxation and Specialized Tax Topics. He is also interested in and teaches (or has taught) Accounting for Lawyers, Professional Responsibility and Corporate Law. He was the Faculty’s 2010 recipient of the Tevie Miller Teaching Excellence Award. He has published articles on taxation law in academic and practitioner journals.

Research

Teaching

Taxation Law (Law 504), Estate Planning (Law 660), Accounting for Lawyers (Law 550), Strategic Tax Planning (Acct 668)

LAW 504 - Taxation

An introductory course on Canadian income taxation law. It will include a discussion of important tax policies/principles, who is subject to tax, the five sources of income that are subject to income tax, the mechanics of calculating taxable income and taxes payable, the general compliance obligations of individual taxpayers, tax jurisprudence and the dispute resolution process, strategic tax planning, and common tax issues that arise in a non-tax law practice. This course will serve as a stand-alone course for students not wishing to focus on taxation law as well as the prerequisite for students wishing to take further taxation courses offered by the Faculty.

LAW 550 - Accounting for Lawyers

The general objective of this course is to provide students with some basic accounting theory, practical knowledge, and skills that will be helpful to them in their legal practice. It is focused on three main areas: accounting for one's legal practice, complying with the Law Society of Alberta's Trust Accounting Rules, and analyzing financial statements and other financial information. This course is designed for law students without a background in accounting.

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