About Julian Davis
Julian Davis Mortenson built his legal foundation at Harvard and Stanford. He earned a B.A. from Harvard University in 1997 and a J.D. from Stanford Law School in 2002. Those credentials led him into both the academy and private practice.
He is the James G. Phillipp Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School. In that role he teaches, mentors students and engages in scholarly work. Colleagues describe his approach as rigorous and practical. He balances classroom responsibilities with writing and public speaking, often bringing real-world questions into seminars and faculty workshops.
Outside the classroom he maintains an active connection to practice. He serves Of Counsel at Miller Canfield. There he consults on complex legal questions that intersect with his academic interests. His role at the firm keeps him engaged with client work and the daily concerns of practicing lawyers.
Mortenson is admitted to practice in Michigan and New York. Those admissions allow him to move between state court matters and academic inquiry. He is also involved in professional associations and attends conferences where scholars and practitioners convene to debate current issues in law.
Students and peers point to his ability to translate doctrinal materials into operational terms. Lectures are precise. Office hours are direct. His published and classroom work aims to clarify both doctrine and the practical implications of court decisions. He has supervised research and guided students preparing for litigation and policy careers, helping them frame complex questions and test arguments against real-world constraints.
His career has followed two parallel tracks: sustained scholarly engagement at a major law school and steady legal practice at a regional firm. Those tracks intersect in his teaching and in the matters he handles as Of Counsel. He currently divides his time between the University of Michigan Law School and Miller Canfield; his practice handles matters arising in Michigan and New York.
