Ramamurti “Ram” Venkataramani manages the daily operations of Legal Aid Service of Broward County’s (LAS) Low Income Taxpayer Clinic. In addition, he oversees the Collier County programs in Naples and Immokalee. After more than fifteen years of dedicated service to Legal Aid’s mission of serving the poor of Broward County, Venkataramani has announced his intent to retire at the end of June 2019.
Ram came to Legal Aid for a second career. He started as a volunteer in 2004 and was eventually hired as a full-time employee in 2006 to manage the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC). In 2008 became the LITC Clinic Director for both Broward and Collier Counties. Since then, he has attended over 900 hours of tax training with H&R Block, IRS Tax Forums, and other agencies and is a Qualified Tax Expert (QTE), as certified by the IRS.
Prior to coming to the United States to be near his family extended, Ram worked for a major Indian bank that had numerous offices in India, the Middle East and throughout Asia, with total staff complement of over 30,000. He ultimately rose to the position of Senior General Manager and was second in command in the bank. He also served in Hong Kong for seven years as Chief Manager, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and later as Country Head. In addition, he directed Forex/Overseas and International operations and later oversaw the entire Law and Legal Services of the Bank where he reported to the Chairman and Managing Director of the bank’s Board of Directors.
“Ram had more than three decades of banking experience before joining Legal Aid. His prior career took him all over the world, meeting with heads of state and corporations. Now Ram works with the neediest and most vulnerable members of our community.” said Tony Karrat, Executive Director of LAS. “Our clients are very lucky to have access to Ram’s expertise and have benefitted immensely from his dedication to serve the community.”
Ram holds a Bachelors and a Master’s degree in Commerce from India with Audit and Accounting as subjects. He is an Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers and Licentiate of Indian Insurance Institute. Enrolled as an Advocate, he was admitted to the Bar Council of Tamilnadu State under the provisions of Section 17 of the Advocates Act of 1961 in India. Ram also is a member of the American Bar Association’s Taxation Section, the National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA), and the National Society of Accountants (NSA). He is a National Tax Practice Institute (NTPI) Fellow and an H&R Block Master Tax Advisor as well. In addition to all of his certifications, Ram is multilingual and speaks Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.
In addition to Ram’s wealth of information and professional expertise, his co-workers appreciate Ram’s kindness, patience, and sense of humor. He says he will miss all of his friends, but says there also are some things he will not miss. He explains further, “Everyone in the United States fears the IRS. Imagine dealing with them every day, all day long. It can be very nerve wracking. That is the part I’ll be glad to leave behind.”
Legal Aid celebrates Ramamurti “Ram” Venkataramani and we wish him happiness as he moves into the next phase of his life. Thank you Ram – we will miss you.
Ram coined a parting poem dedicated to his co-workers:
Legal Aid has become an integral part of my wholeSweet memories with Friends and colleagues will now be a part of my soul
I am so very happy that I do not have to deal 24/7 with the IRS no more
Yet so sad I will not be able to say “hello” to you daily anymore
Greetings and best wishes to you all, working so very hard to make the lives of others better.
-Ram