My name is Rodolfo A. Camacho, but my clients are welcome to call me Rudy. I am a seasoned attorney whose career has taken me through the worlds of finance, taxation, and law. That combination gives me a somewhat different perspective when helping individuals, families, and business owners plan for the future, protect their assets, and pass their wealth on to the next generation.
My career actually began on Wall Street. After earning my MBA in Finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1984, I worked on Wall Street from 1984 to 1986. That experience gave me a firsthand understanding of financial markets, investment vehicles, wealth management, and the many considerations that go into building and preserving wealth.
I’ve found that background to be particularly valuable in my estate planning practice. Estate planning is about much more than preparing a will or filing documents. To me, effective planning begins with understanding a client’s financial picture, family circumstances, goals, and concerns about the future.
After my time on Wall Street, I turned my attention to the law. I earned my Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law and later earned a Master of Laws in Taxation from the College of William & Mary. I also pursued doctoral studies in taxation at Stanford Law School as a Spaith Fellow.
My advanced education in taxation has given me a strong foundation for dealing with the tax issues that can arise in estate planning and wealth transfers. Whether a client is considering a trust, transferring assets to the next generation, making charitable gifts, or planning for the future of a family business, understanding the tax consequences can be critical to developing an effective plan.
I have been licensed to practice law in Oregon since 1995. Over the years, my practice has included estate planning, trusts, wills, guardianships and conservatorships, estate administration, and health care directives.
I have also had the opportunity to serve in a role that gave me an entirely different perspective on assets, fiduciary responsibilities, and estate administration. In 2005, I was appointed as a Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee. During my time as a trustee, I oversaw more than 20,000 hearings and helped marshal, value, and distribute complex asset portfolios.
That experience continues to shape how I approach trust and estate matters. When an estate involves substantial or complicated assets, it is important to understand not only the legal documents but also the financial realities behind those assets. My background in finance and taxation allows me to look at those issues from more than one perspective.
Today, I work with high-net-worth individuals, families, and business owners on matters involving estate planning, trusts, wealth transfer, asset protection, estate administration, and business succession planning.
What does that mean for my clients?
It means looking at the bigger picture.
A good estate plan should do more than simply determine who receives your property after you are gone. It should address questions such as:
- How can you preserve the wealth you have worked to build?
- How can you transfer assets to future generations?
- What types of trusts might make sense for your family?
- How can you minimize tax exposure?
- How should a family business be handled when it is time for the next generation to take over?
- Who will make financial or health care decisions if you become unable to make them yourself?
- How can you make sure your wishes are carried out?
No single estate plan works for everyone. A young family may have very different concerns from a business owner preparing for retirement or a family seeking to preserve substantial wealth across multiple generations. My job is to understand those differences and help develop a plan that reflects each client’s individual circumstances and goals.
I also understand that estate planning can involve complicated subjects that are difficult to discuss. Money, taxes, family relationships, incapacity, and what happens after death are not always easy topics. I try to make the process as understandable and straightforward as possible so that my clients can make informed decisions about their futures.
My background in finance, business, taxation, and law allows me to approach estate planning from a broad perspective. I believe that combination can be particularly valuable when a client’s financial and legal circumstances are complex.
I am also fluent in both English and Spanish, and I am pleased to serve clients in both languages.
Ultimately, estate planning is about protecting what matters to you. Whether that means creating a will, establishing a trust, planning for the succession of a business, protecting assets, or preparing for the administration of an estate, my goal is to help you put a thoughtful plan in place, one that protects your interests, provides for the people you care about, and carries out your wishes.
Education:
- S.D. (ABD), Taxation, Stanford Law School, Spaith Fellow
- MBA, Finance, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- M., Taxation, College of William & Mary
- D., Business Law, Santa Clara University School of Law
- A., Business Economics, University of California, Santa Barbara
Publications:
- “How to Avoid Negligent Hiring,” Whittier Law Review, Vol. 14, No. 4 (1993)
- “Financial Planning as an Employee Benefit,” International Foundation (1992)
- “The Liability of a Corporation Which Provides Financial Planning Services as an Employee Benefit,” Lincoln Law Review (1994–1995)
Areas of Practice:
- Estate Planning & Administration
- Revocable, Irrevocable, Charitable & Special Needs Trusts
- Estate Tax Planning
- Business Succession Planning
- Asset Protection
- Fiduciary Representation
- Wealth Transfer Strategies
- Wills
- Guardianships & Conservatorships
- Health Care Directives
- English & Spanish Legal Representation
