Law School mourns passing of James Eustice

In a memo to the NYU Law community on April 26, Dean Richard Revesz announced the death of James Eustice (LL.M. ’58), Gerald L. Wallace Professor of Taxation Emeritus. "Jim was a legendary figure in the field of tax law and a beloved member of the Law School community since he joined our faculty in 1960," Revesz said. "A distinguished scholar, Jim’s treatise on corporate tax law has long been viewed as the authoritative work on the subject, widely cited by the Supreme Court and regularly used by academics and practitioners. He was deeply committed to the Law School during his more than five decades here, teaching thousands of students in almost every tax course available. After retirement, he remained dedicated to his work as of counsel at the firm of Cooley LLP, where he founded the tax department in 1970, and continued to teach at the Law School. He was co-teaching Taxation of Affiliated Corporations this spring, and remained active and engaged to the very end." He was 78. 

Some of his colleagues at the Law School have offered these thoughts:

"I feel a sense of great loss, both professionally and personally. Jim was a true giant in the field of federal taxation and will be sorely missed. In addition, he was not only my teacher and colleague, but also my very good friend."  – Noël Cunningham, Professor of Law

“There can be no question about Jim’s enduring contribution to the academy and the tax world. Say B&E to any tax lawyer and they will know instantly to whom you are referring. He was the author of a book that is on every tax lawyer’s desk, in every law library, and read by generations of corporate tax students. His treatise on corporate taxation (Bittker & Eustice) is the first place everyone looks for an answer to any corporate tax question and, I say to my students, if the answer isn’t there, there is no answer.” – Deborah Schenk, Marilynn and Ronald Grossman Professor of Law

“To me, Jim broke the mold in tax academe, along the lines Larry Bird did in basketball--different, even peculiar, stubborn, relentlessly independent, dignified but occasionally fond of zany adventure, quietly friendly, kind-hearted, devilishly funny to those he knew well, extremely bright and hard-working, committed to professional excellence, loyal, and ultimately, with self-knowledge but not arrogance, in a class very few could join. Underneath the seemingly shy, stolid exterior was an always churning, even introspective mind.  He surprised me on the occasion of our last visit by sharing, in very un-Jim style, some thoughts on his life.  I will miss him.” – John Steines, Professor of Law

“Jim was a brilliant, hardworking and kind colleague. Each evening, on his way to many hours of updating his famous treatise, he would stop at my office door – wearing his tracksuit and “NYU Tax” hat and carrying his trademark pipe – to say hello and, often, share some tax-related humor. The fourth floor of Vanderbilt Hall will never be the same without him.” – Joshua D. Blank, Associate Professor of the Practice of Tax Law

 Posted April 27, 2011