Attorneys
American Bar Association awards Jules Ritholz Memorial Merit Award to Larry Campagna
Larry Campagna, the managing shareholder for Chamberlain Hrdlicka, today received the Jules Ritholz Memorial Merit Award from The American Bar Association’s (ABA) Tax Section Civil and Criminal Tax Penalties Committee. The award was presented during ABA’s Hybrid 2022 May Tax Meeting held in Washington, DC. The presentation was made by Scott Michel, partner at Caplin & Drysdale in Washington, who has been nominated as the incoming Chair-Elect of the ABA’s Tax Section. He was joined on the podium by Charles P. Rettig, Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service.
“The Jules Ritholz Memorial Merit Award recognizes not just outstanding legal work in the highly complex field of criminal and civil tax controversy litigation, as to which Larry Campagna is one of the best in the country,” said Scott Michel. “The award also honors lawyers who have devoted themselves to the advancement of the tax bar, to thought leadership and to the teaching and mentoring of younger lawyers. In 45 years of superlative practice as a lawyer, Larry has given so generously of his time and energy to the ABA’s Section of Taxation and to generations of practitioners who have sought his help and advice. Those of us who know him well are incredibly grateful that he has been a presence in our careers and our lives.”
Commissioner Rettig commented, “Larry is that person we all aspire to, whether inside or outside the government. Larry always has time for everybody on any issue, whether it’s tax, non-tax, litigation, non-litigation, criminal tax, non-criminal tax, or just life.”
The award was established in 1994 and is presented each year to an individual who demonstrates outstanding dedication, achievement, and integrity in the field of civil and criminal tax controversies. Its namesake Jules Ritholz was a nationally known tax lawyer, senior partner in the firm of Kostelanetz, Ritholz, Tigue & Fink, as well as an adjunct professor of law at New York University for more than twenty years.
“We unanimously chose Larry to receive the prestigious Jules Ritholz Memorial Merit Award because of his unparalleled dedication to improving the lives of those who practice side by side with him in the tax controversy bar,” said Jenny Johnson, Chair for ABA’s Civil and Criminal Tax Penalties Committee and partner at McDermott Will & Emery. “Even more noteworthy than his long list of professional accomplishments, Larry is a trusted advisor, thoughtful leader, and genuine friend to colleagues across the country and across generations.”
Campagna achieved the admirable feat of starting at Chamberlain Hrdlicka as a file clerk and working his way to managing shareholder, while building a national reputation as an authoritative litigator in matters of business litigation and criminal tax defense, as well as federal, state and local tax controversies. Throughout his 45-year career, he has resolved thousands of civil and criminal litigation matters, many involving sophisticated and complex legal issues that established precedent in courts at all levels.
He assumed the managing shareholder role for Chamberlain Hrdlicka just three months before the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In recognition of his leadership, decisive actions, and strategic vision, he was named among the Houston Business Journal’s 2021 Most Admired CEOs Award recipients.
Long recognized as a tax law leader by his peers, Campagna received the Texas Lawyer’s Professional Excellence Award in the Lifetime Achievement category; the Annual Bruce I. Hochman Award at the 36th Annual Tax Controversy Institute at UCLA; and was named a Texas Tax Legend by the State Bar of Texas, one of the highest honors for the Tax Law Section, with only 30+ attorneys selected nationwide to date. He was unanimously inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel in 1995, where he now serves as Vice President on the Board of Regents. He’s been listed among Best Lawyers in America annually since 2010, including being named as 2014 and 2016 Lawyer of the Year in Houston for Litigation and Controversy – Tax. He continues to be ranked in Band 1 nationally and in Texas by Chambers USA since 2009 and has been named a Leading Lawyer by Legal 500. He has made the Texas SuperLawyers list annually since 2003 and has been named among the country’s leading federal tax litigators by America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys since 2007.
Campagna generously gives his time and expertise to the legal community, with substantial participation in the American Bar Association Section of Taxation, where he recently has served as the Vice Chair for Administration, as a member of its Council, and as Chair of the Committee on Appointments to the Tax Court. He previously chaired the Committee on Civil and Criminal Tax Penalties, the Task Force on Offshore Credit Card Cases, the Committee on Employment Taxes, and a subcommittee on IRS Investigations and Procedures. In Texas, he has served on the State Bar Section of Taxation Committee for Liaison with the Comptroller of Public Accounts. He also co-authored the only casebook on federal tax crimes and has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston Law Center since 2001.