About Philip C.
Philip C. Curtis earned his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 2000 after completing undergraduate studies in history and political science at Western Michigan University in 1994. He arrived at the practice of law following a traditional legal education and a sequence of early experiences that shaped his approach. The Berkeley J.D. bookends a liberal arts foundation that he carries into casework and courtroom preparation.
His earliest legal roles were in private firms and summer associate positions. In 2001 he worked as a summer associate at Foster Pepper, PLLC. The following year he served of counsel at Curtis & Curtis, P.C., a role that prefaced his move into firm leadership. By 2007 he had established P. Curtis & Associates, PLLC and took on responsibilities as owner and managing partner. Those years in private practice broadened his exposure to a range of client matters and to the demands of running a small firm.
Curtis has not limited himself to office work. In 2014 he volunteered as a trial lawyer with the Office of the Washtenaw County Public Defender. That stint returned him to the courtroom and to direct trial experience. It is one of several threads in a career that alternates between litigation tasks and the day-to-day management of a practice.
He maintains admissions to practice in Michigan and in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. His professional affiliations include membership in the American Immigration Lawyers Association, a connection he has held since 2002. Those credentials suggest a practice that operates in both state and federal settings, and that engages with the types of issues often handled by immigration practitioners as well as other matters requiring appellate access.
Today Curtis leads P. Curtis & Associates, PLLC, a practice he has managed since 2007. He combines courtroom experience from public defense work with the administrative and client-facing responsibilities of running a small firm. He regularly handles matters in Michigan courts and accepts cases on appeal to the Sixth Circuit. His current practice concentrates on cases filed in Michigan and matters that proceed to the Sixth Circuit.
