This week marks the anniversary of the untimely passing of Kostelanetz partner Jules Ritholz, a stalwart trial lawyer and expert in tax litigation who brought his extraordinary intellect and a passion for criminal defense to his work at Kostelanetz — a passion he funneled into the mentorship and dedication to the rule of law that continues to be a hallmark of the firm today.
Born in Brooklyn in 1925, Jules attended Brooklyn College and Harvard Law School and received his LL.M. in taxation from New York University School of Law. A fierce advocate and skilled communicator, Jules quickly made a name for himself in the growing white-collar defense bar of New York. His skill in the courtroom, bolstered by his intellectual prowess and a touch of bravado, won him many victories.
Jules brought his intensity to both the office and the courtroom, and attorneys who worked with him remember lining up for his “office hours,” where he would provide rapid-fire responses to a line of waiting associates when his meetings were over for the day. He has been remembered as having a formidable presence, and his mentorship style was to throw younger lawyers into the deep end and trust they would swim.
Just announcing that a request came from Jules held sway among lawyers in New York, and over the course of his career he represented many notable clients, including Mayor David N. Dinkins when he was the Manhattan Borough President. Jules contributed to foundational cases of the field, most notably U.S. v. Kovel and U.S. v. Citron. As his career progressed, he continued to share his expertise through frequent articles published in The Tax Lawyer and the Journal of Taxation, and as an adjunct professor at New York University School of Law.
Jules’ combination of intelligence and grit elevated him to the highest echelon of his field, where he was able to build a lasting legacy. Jules achieved the rare honor of dual membership in the American College of Tax Counsel and the American College of Trial Lawyers, marking his ability to balance a penchant for erudite argument and strategy with the tough, bulldozing power of a trial lawyer at the top of his game.
Jules’ example continues in the work we do at Kostelanetz today. Current Kostelanetz partner Jay Nanavati also boasts dual membership in the American College of Tax Counsel and the American College of Trial Lawyers, for example, and many other of the firm’s attorneys continue in Jules’ footsteps by maintaining robust tax and white-collar defense practices.
Kostelanetz is proud that Jules’ legacy is memorialized through the Jules Ritholz Memorial Merit Award, awarded by the American Bar Association Tax Section’s Civil & Criminal Tax Penalties Committee, which Jules established. Partner Bryan Skarlatos, who was fortunate to have worked with and learned from Jules at the firm, was honored to receive the award this year. Bryan joined previous Kostelanetz recipients of the Ritholz Award, Boris Kostelanetz and Frank Agostino.
