Your help is requested.
Our Pro Bono Committee is excited to announce the continuation of our TAX COURT PRO BONO PROGRAM, the first statewide program of its kind in the nation! This initiative is to assist pro bono se, low income taxpayers during the calendar calls of the United States Tax Court. We will be assisting on the dates set forth below with the Dallas, San Antonio and Houston, El Paso and Lubbock calendars. We are looking for Tax Section members willing to volunteer their time for ONE DAY ONLY during the United States Tax Court calendars listed.
The program will provide tax practitioners excellent exposure to United States Tax Court Judges while providing a needed service to the community.
The volunteers will NOT be entering an appearance before the United States Tax Court, but instead discussing procedural issues with taxpayers and, in some cases, acting as a mediator to assist the taxpayers in settling their cases before trial. Practitioners must be licensed to practice before the United States Tax Court in order to participate.
Interested Section members may contact the coordinators listed below. The Pro Committee Chair is Gerald Brantley, e-mail: Gerald@geraldbrantley.com, phone: (512) 637-1045.
The ABA Tax Section, at its October, 2009 meeting, presented two simulations that demonstrate how the Tax Court Calendar Call program works. Please follow the below links to view these programs.
To volunteer for any of the calendar calls listed below, contact the coordinator listed. The Tax Section will pick up any related travel expenses.
Dallas, Texas
Coordinator: Mr. Robert ("Bob") Probasco:
Telephone: (214) 969-1503
DATE TYPE JUDGE
10/18/10 Regular Maurice B. Foley
11/29/10 Small Case Special Trial Judge Lewis R. Carluzzo
Houston, Texas
Coordinator Mr. Peter A. Lowy:
Telephone: (713) 241-4755
DATE TYPE JUDGE
10/25/10 Regular Michael B. Thornton
11/15/10 Small Case Special Trial Judge Lewis R. Carluzzo
11/29/10 Regular Joseph Robert Goeke
El Paso and Lubbock, Texas
Coordinator: Mr. Gerald Brantley:
Telephone: (512) 637-1045
DATE TYPE JUDGE
12/06/10 Hybrid Robert A. Wherry, Jr. (El Paso)
10/18/10 Hybrid Michael B. Thornton (Lubbock)
San Antonio, Texas
Coordinator: Elizabeth A. Copeland:
Telephone: (210) 224-2000
DATE TYPE JUDGE
11/01/10 Small Case Laurence J. Whalen
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Previous Tax Court Clinics:
February 23, 2009, San Antonio, Texas - Honorable Judge Wherry presiding
March 9, 2009, Dallas, Texas - Honorable Judge Laro presiding
March 23, 2009, Houston, Texas - Honorable Judge Dean presiding
May 4, 2009, Dallas, Texas - Honorable Judge Holmes presiding
May 11, 2009, Houston, Texas - Honorable Judge Laro presiding
October 5, 2009, San Antonio, Texas - Honorable Judge Dawson presiding
November 16, 2009, El Paso, Texas - Honorable Judge Thorton presiding
November 19, 2009, Lubbock, Texas - Honorable Judge Haines presiding
November 30, 2009, Dallas, Texas - Honorable Judge Armen presiding
For those who do volunteer for any of the sessions listed above, a short volunteer training/ question & answer session was conducted on Friday, October 24, 2008 at 1pm. To listen to an audio replay of this training session, CLICK HERE.