"Plan for controversy,
and you will stay ahead of the curve."
15 years of Citywealth - meet one
of our lead sponsors, Joshua Rubenstein
15 years ago, we founded Citywealth with the purpose
of bringing together ultra-high net worth clients and their advisers and
managers working in the private wealth sector.
Through the years, Citywealth achieved this with a
mixture of publications, events, networking groups, and interviews with leading
experts to bring together different segments of the market to develop contacts,
build business and raise information and standards in the sector.
But what does it mean to collaborate with Citywealth
in the long run? Our dear Joshua Rubenstein, New York-based attorney, who has
been with us for 15 years as a lead sponsor, agreed to share some of his
thought regarding our long, fruitful collaboration:
Joshua, let’s start with a few words about yourself
Joshua Rubenstein: I
am the fourth generation, first born male trusts and estates lawyer in my
family. It is apparently a Rubenstein genetic defect. My five
children, however, have all had amnio. They are clear of the defect and
free to pursue career paths of their choice.
That’s quite a legacy! What education did you pursue
and what did it teach you?
Joshua Rubenstein: I
went to the largest public high school in the United States (enrollment of
10,000 at the time, in Brooklyn), then I was at Columbia University (BA in
Greek and Latin, followed by JD). I have been at the same law firm for 38
years. Clients don’t like change, and I guess I don’t either! Of
course the trick is changing what needs to be changed in order to stay relevant
while maintaining one’s core values – always a balancing act.
Let’s stop a little at these core values. Can you
share some tips with us?
Joshua Rubenstein: Law
school teaches us all to talk. There are no courses on how to
listen. In order to work with top clients, it is essential to be a
patient and astute listener. Only then will your clients listen to you
when you tell them something they don’t want to hear. And there is no
substitute for hard work.
Thanks a lot!
Now let’s move to your relationship with Citywealth: when you first
discovered it, how and what does Citywealth mean to you.
Joshua Rubenstein: It
is hard to believe that Citywealth is now fifteen years old – or that I am
fifteen years older than when I started supporting Karen Jones’s
brainchild. Kudos to Karen, who created Citywealth from a brilliant germ
of an idea out of sheer will and strength of personality. I recall fondly
Citywealth’s inaugural event at the London Zoo in Regents Park. Being an
event celebrating lawyers, it was appropriately held in the Reptile
House. That the Magic Circle Awards have graduated from their humble
origins to the grand ballroom packed, not-to-be-missed event of the year says
it all. Okay, we won’t count 2020 – for any purpose!
A word of wisdom for all those reading this?
Joshua Rubenstein: There
has always been change. Heraclitus said “the only constant is change”
over 2,500 years ago. But change is more frequent, broad and far-reaching
than ever before, and controversy seems to be a new constant as well. Plan
for change and plan for controversy, and you will stay ahead of the curve.
Thank
you, Joshua, for the openness to answer to our interview and for your amazing
collaboration during the past 15 years!
You
can find Joshua
Rubenstein here, for more
details and for information regarding our activity and future events, follow us
on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.
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