Practice Areas

Estate Planning

Trusts & Estates Administration

Federal Estate & Gift Taxation

Guardianships & Conservatorships

Education

J.D., Harvard University, 1970

B.A., Yale College, 1963

Bar and Court Admissions

California

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

Other Professional Affiliations

The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (Fellow)

Los Angeles County Bar Association (Member, Executive Committee, Trusts and Estates Section: Chair, 1991-1992)

State Bar of California (Member, Estate Planning, Trusts and Probate Section)

State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization (Certified Specialist, Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law)

Tom Curtiss joined Rodi Pollock Pettker Christian & Pramov as a principal in October, 2002. Tom has been a trusts and estates practitioner since 1970, during which time he has experienced many diverse professional challenges in estate planning and estate settlement.

Tom takes special pride in having developed a practice which serves the gay and lesbian community, crafting documents to address the legal anomalies incident to the non-traditional relationship. He has spoken and written widely about this increasingly important area of estate planning and counts among his clients numerous non-traditional couples.

Between 1983 and 2000 (with one five year hiatus), Tom was an Adjunct Professor of Law at Loyola of Los Angeles School of Law, where he taught estate planning. In addition, he has lectured and written articles for his professional colleagues on a variety of technical aspects of estate planning.

During his third year at Harvard Law School, Tom was appointed a teaching fellow in "Expository Writing." He was one of only three law students selected for such an appointment.

Before entering law school and after graduating from Yale College, Tom served four years in the United States Marine Corps. Upon his release from active duty, he had attained the rank of Captain. He later received a promotion to Major while serving, during and after law school, in the Marine Corps Reserve.

Before matriculating at Yale, Tom graduated from the Phillips Exeter Academy, located in Exeter, New Hampshire. He served for a period of four years as a Class Agent for the Class of 1959.

Between 1983 and 1988, Tom served on the Commission on Ministry of the (Episcopal) Diocese of Los Angeles. For seven years he served as a Director and the Treasurer of The Cathedral Corporation (now the Cathedral Center of St. Paul) of the Diocese of Los Angeles. Tom is a Lay Canon of the Diocese.

Between 1989 and 1991, Tom served as a Director of the Southern California AIDS Interfaith Council.