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MEET: Christopher Rhodes, Jr.
Christopher Rhodes Jr. is an Associate Attorney with Ellis & Winters, LLP practicing in the firm's Raleigh office. Christopher obtained his J.D. in 2022 from UNC Chapel Hill School of Law. We're happy to get to know Christopher a little bit here!
What drew you to the practice of law and to a litigation and trial practice? What began as an interest in public policy and politics evolved into a desire to want to learn how the legal system works and how I could participate in advocating for others.
If you could meet one person, dead or alive, to grab a coffee with, who would it be and why? I would truly enjoy the opportunity to grab a coffee with Charles Hamilton Houston. I’m certainly inspired by the work of all the civil rights attorneys who engaged in the profession, however, I would truly like to pick his brain about his approach to amplifying his impact a mentor to so many influential lawyers and how that would translate to the challenges of today’s time.
What are you reading or listening to? I’m an avid podcast listener. My favorite podcast right now is called Acquired, hosted by Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal. They do fantastic deep dives into publicly traded companies that are both informative and entertaining.
Describe your perfect day outside of work. A prefect day outside of work would start with a visit to a local Durham coffee shop (shout out to the Daily Beer Bar), then a lunch at any local Durham restaurant. My wife and I have started to indulge in pickleball so an afternoon playing pickleball. Then end the evening at a Durham dive bar. There are plenty in Durham and it’s hard to find a bad one. You may or may not be able to tell that I live in Durham and love it.
If you could have any superpower what would it be? Definitely fly. I hate driving in traffic.
How do you define success? Leaving the world in a better place than when you started in it. It can be difficult to believe that this is possible given the divisiveness of social discourse, however, I am very optimistic that starting with the small things (e.g. being a good person, volunteering in your community, mentoring young people) truly do initiate outsized long term impact. Success is planting those seeds of hope and ensuring that those seeds grow as much as possible while you’re alive and able to do something.
Be sure to connect with Christopher when you're looking for a great dive bar in Durham!
