Member Spotlight: Rufus von Thülen Rhoades

Can you tell us a little bit about your career?

California Bar (1962); New York Bar (1960); Stanford University School of Law (LL.B., 1959) (Member, Stanford Law Review); Stanford University (A.B., 1954).

Practices in all facets of federal and state income tax matters involve both controversial work with the Internal Revenue Service and the California Franchise Tax Board on a wide variety of issues and tax planning on an equally wide variety of transactions. Co-Author: Rhoades & Langer, U.S. International Taxation and Tax Treaties, a treatise of 6 volumes published by Matthew Bender & Co., New York, revised four times a year. Matthew Bender has sold over 2,500 copies. The set is currently in its 155^th revision. Recipient: Dana Latham Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in Taxation presented by the Los Angeles County Bar Association Section on Taxation (presenter: the honorable Pamela A. Rymer, U.S. Ninth Circuit) and the Joanne Garvey Award presented by the California State Bar Section on Taxation for substantial lifetime contributions to the field of tax law. Distinguished Professor Richard C. Pugh International Tax Award, presented by the University of San Diego School of Law/Procopio Tax Institute.

Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of San Diego, teaching courses dealing with international tax issues (2006-2009); prior Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Southern California School of Law, teaching courses on corporate taxation and international taxation. Previous lecturer for Practicing Law Institute, New York, on international tax matters. 

What has been the highlight of your career?

Publishing my treatise on international tax.

If you could go back to the beginning of your legal career, would you have done anything differently?

I would have moved into tax law earlier. I started in litigation, which, in retrospect, was an error.

What advice would you give to someone considering law school today?

Understand that law is a demanding profession. It requires discipline, ethics, and continual hard work. You won’t get rich (very few do), but you will earn a decent living.

What were the biggest changes you saw in the legal profession over the course of your career?

Clearly, technology. When I started, we used manual typewriters and human stenographers who took dictation. Our reproduction machines were mimeographs.

When did you first become a member of the ABA, and why did you decide to join?

I joined in 1960, and I remember being active in bar matters and contributing to keeping the law ethical, current, and respected.

Are there any member benefits that SLD or the ABA provided to you that helped you decide to become a member of the ABA and/or SLD?

No, I never looked upon the ABA as providing peripheral benefits.

What has been the highlight of your work with the ABA?

Working with the SLD. They are terrific people and enjoyable to work with.

If you had not become a lawyer, what do you think you would have done? 

Been an airline pilot. I love flying and took my first lesson at 16.