Robert S. Pomerance, an adjunct professor at the law school, passed away on Thursday, June 23. Since the spring semester of 2013 Mr. Pomerance taught Federal Income Tax and one semester of Corporate Taxation.
For a large part of his career, Mr. Pomerance was a lawyer with the Appellate Section of the Tax Division of the United States Justice Department, where he started out as a line attorney and then earned a promotion to reviewer. After leaving the Justice Department in 1992 and until his retirement in 2011, he held the senior position on the legal staff of the United States Tax Court as Counsel to the Chief Judge. He often mentored law clerks, who would consult him about their work. Every fall, as part of an orientation program for new law clerks, he gave a talk about how to draft opinions.
Outside of work, Mr. Pomerance taught law students across the greater D.C. region. In addition to GW Law, at various times he lectured as an adjunct professor at University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, American University Washington College of Law, University of Baltimore School of Law, and Georgetown University Law Center.
GW Law students who took classes with Mr. Pomerance praised his knowledge of tax law and his enthusiasm for helping them learn. James S. Halpern, Senior Judge of the U.S. Tax Court had similar recollections. "He was respected by all members of the Court not only for his extensive knowledge of the law, but also for his keen sense of what justice required," Judge Halpern said.