About Philip J
Philip J Ruce trained first as a lawyer and then expanded that legal education with an advanced degree. He earned his J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law and later completed an LL.M. at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. Those academic steps came before a career that has moved between private practice, trust administration and part-time teaching.
Early in his professional life Ruce worked in institutional trust roles. In 2000 he served as an institutional trust administrator at PFPC Financial Services and in 2001 he worked as an investment sales representative at TCF Investments. By 2008 he had taken on trust-officer responsibilities at Wells Fargo Bank, and in 2011 he served as a trust officer and relationship manager at Trust Point Inc.
He began teaching in the early 2000s. In 2002 he joined the College for Financial Planning as adjunct faculty on a part-time basis. He later taught at Thomas Jefferson School of Law as an adjunct professor in 2013. In 2023 he returned to the classroom as a part-time adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. His courses have reflected his background in trusts and financial services.
In 2014 Ruce made a move into private practice as an estate lawyer at Stone Arch Law Office, PLLC. There he worked on wills, trusts and estate matters that are designed to give families structure and clarity. That same year he joined the advisory board of Minneapolis Animal Care and Control, taking on a community role outside his legal and financial work.
Colleagues and clients know him for a steady approach to estate planning and trust administration. He has navigated bank trust operations, private trust relationships and the drafting of estate documents. Those experiences inform how he counsels clients about asset transfer, fiduciary duties and the practical steps families take to settle or plan estates.
Ruce is admitted to practice in Minnesota and in South Dakota. He balances practice and part-time teaching, moving between client work and academic schedules. His work spans transactional and advisory matters rather than litigation.
He currently practices at Stone Arch Law Office, PLLC, handling trusts, estates, wills and related matters.
