09/21/2026
Law students registering for Professor Bob Probasco’s tax clinic expect cases with numbers, regulations, and statutes. They don’t expect to learn how emotional tax problems can be for clients.
Bob’s students at Texas A&M University School of Law quickly understand that an IRS problem can be a constant source of worry for clients. It can interrupt sleep, work, and the sense that ordinary life is under control.
His work at the clinic helps students empathize while being effective advocates, as they build judgment and confidence.
Bob grew up in a small town. His first image of a lawyer came from Perry Mason. But the weekly witness-stand confessions did not resonate with him.
Years later, he read nonfiction about real lawyers, including The Brethren by Bob Woodward. That changed how he saw the job.
After a career in accounting and financial analysis, he went to law school. Tax law captured his interest because the answers were complex, and because the tax lawyers he met were people he wanted to work with.
Attorney Alexander Powell interviewed Bob during the ABA Tax Section’s May Meeting, as part of the relaunch of the People in Tax podcast.
Click the link below to listen to the latest episode of People in Tax.
🚨 New episode alert🚨 The latest episode of People in Tax features Professor Bob Probasco. Join host Alexander Powell to hear Bob discuss how his earlier career shaped his teaching and how working with low-income taxpayers builds empathy by showing students that small disputes matter as much to clients as large ones.
Take a listen now: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/taxation/resources/podcast/interview-with-bob-probasco/
