Laurence J. Whalen is a retired senior judge

Judge

A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...

 of the United States Tax Court

United States Tax Court

The United States Tax Court is a federal trial court of record established by Congress under Article I of the U.S. Constitution, section 8 of which provides that the Congress has the power to "constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court"...

.

He was born in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 and earned his A.B. from Georgetown University

Georgetown University

Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...

, 1967; J.D., Georgetown University Law Center

Georgetown University Law Center

Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...

, 1970, followed by an LL.M. in 1971. He has been admitted to District of Columbia and Oklahoma Bars. Special Assistant to the Assistant Attorney General, Tax Division, Department of Justice, 1971-72; trial attorney, Tax Division, 1971-75. Private law practice in Washington, D.C., with Hamel and Park (now Hopkins, Sutter, Hamel and Park

Hopkins & Sutter

Hopkins & Sutter was a Chicago-based law firm that practiced from 1921 to 2000, when it merged with Milwaukee-based Foley & Lardner. The firm was established by Albert Hopkins and Harry Sutter...

), 1977-84; also in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with Crowe and Dunlevy, 1984-87. He is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association, District of Columbia Bar Association, and American Bar Association.

Whalen was appointed by President Reagan as Judge, United States Tax Court, on November 23, 1987, for a term ending November 22, 2002. Retired on November 23, 2002, but continues to perform judicial duties as Senior Judge on recall.