When vulnerable Bay Area residents find themselves in a tax controversy with the IRS, they turn to the Justice & Diversity Center’s (JDC’s) Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) for help. Since April of 2020, the person at the other end of the line has been Tim Carter, who recently joined LITC as its Supervising Attorney.

Tim joins JDC after many years in public service, including positions with the People with Disabilities Foundation, Bay Area Legal Aid, and the People’s Self Help Credit Union. He describes supervising the LITC as a dream job, which enables him to use his tax expertise to help the most at-risk members of our community.

Tim encourages all tax professionals to do the same. Volunteering with the LITC is a great opportunity to gain more experience with a mentor’s help, become more involved in individual cases, and give back to the community. JDC pre-screens all matters and cases, and provides malpractice insurance for all pro bono matters.

A Bay Area resident for nearly 30 years, Tim lives in the Portola district with his wife and three children, who each have a distinctive middle name that reflects their bicultural heritage— Quetzalcoatl, the Mesoamerican feathered serpent deity, Tonatiuh, the Aztec sun deity, and Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain.

Tim has also been a longtime advocate for a universal basic income, and has published many articles on the topic, starting with his first article in a 2004 issue of the San Francisco Daily Journal.

Born in Roanoke, Virginia, Tim received his bachelor’s from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and his J.D. and M.Sci. in Taxation from Golden Gate University. In his free time, Tim is an avid Dungeons & Dragons player, a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and enjoys watching science fiction with his children.

Please join us in welcoming Tim Carter to the JDC family!

If you’re interested in volunteering with the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, please contact probono@sfbar.org.