About the attorney
J. Michael Considine, Jr.
A practice informed by trial work, business transactions, constitutional questions, and a sustained interest in people, cultures, and the law.
Attorney & Counsellor at Law
J. Michael Considine, Jr., P.C.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Durango, Colorado
Justice. Equality. Trust.
Experience matters. So does understanding.
Michael’s practice brings together litigation and transactional work for individuals, businesses, and organizations. His background includes jury and non-jury trials in federal and state courts, appeals, business transactions, and estate matters.
His professional philosophy begins with asking good questions and listening closely. Understanding a client’s goals helps connect the law to a practical course of action. Legal knowledge, preparation, communication, and candid discussion of risks all have a role.
Justice, equality, and trust express the values behind Law Integrity: taking people and their rights seriously, approaching their circumstances thoughtfully, and building an informed attorney-client relationship.
Litigation
Rights, evidence, and the work of advocacy.
Michael has handled civil-rights and constitutional matters involving free speech, police conduct, search and arrest, student rights, and due process. His reported-case history includes work in federal district courts, courts of appeals, and Pennsylvania courts.
He formerly served as conflicts counsel appointed by the Chester County Court of Common Pleas, representing criminal defendants when the Public Defender had a conflict of interest. His criminal-defense work has included trials, preliminary hearings, bail proceedings, and sentencing.
His litigation background also includes business disputes, personal injury, medical malpractice, estate litigation, and real-estate matters.
Transactions
Advice that understands the business behind the document.
Michael has represented entrepreneurs and a range of businesses in formation, acquisitions, sales, commercial contracts, and corporate matters. His work has included stock-sale agreements, employment and construction contracts, shareholder disputes, and business filings.
He has assisted nonprofit organizations with formation documents, bylaws, corporate resolutions, and applications for federal tax-exempt status. Property and estate work extends the practice to transactions, probate, asset administration, and disputes affecting families and beneficiaries.
Beyond one legal and cultural setting
An international perspective.
Michael’s international-business background combines client work, professional research, and teaching. His biography describes assistance to business clients in Haiti seeking USDA organic certification, representation of a photography business in India, and consultation involving businesses in China, Tanzania, and the United States and Ivory Coast.
He has delivered lectures at law schools in Wuhan, Chengdu, and Beijing. Topics have included international trade, litigation, contract formation, arbitration, electronic commerce, and the American legal system.
These experiences inform an approach attentive to culture, relationships, negotiation, and the legal framework surrounding a transaction.
Legal education
Lectures at Wuhan University, South Central University for Nationalities, Sichuan University, and Peking University, as described in the firm’s biography.
Professional programs
Presentations for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, bar-association programs, and the Global CEO Network.
Research in practice.
His professional activities have included preparing international-business case-law summaries and bringing legal and business professionals together to examine cross-border issues.
Professional foundation
Education & admissions.
University of North Carolina
Juris Doctor, 1982.
Penn State University
B.A. in English, with Distinction, 1979. Honors Program in English.
- 1982Pennsylvania Bar
- 1984U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- 1986U.S. Supreme Court
- 1992U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania
- 1998Colorado Bar
- 1999U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
- 2000U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- 2011U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York
Professional involvement
Sharing knowledge. Building perspective.
Michael’s professional history includes leadership in civil-rights and constitutional-law activities of the Chester County Bar Association, work with its international-business section and U.S. Supreme Court Committee, and involvement in the Philadelphia Bar Association’s International Business Initiative.
His biography also describes service as a referral attorney through the Export Legal Assistance Network and professional involvement with the Global CEO Network.
Outside the practice
Curiosity beyond the case file.
Michael’s interests include music and guitar, carpentry, languages, mentoring, travel, hiking, and the outdoors. They reflect an interest in learning, practical work, and relationships beyond the immediate demands of a legal matter.
Photograph by Raychel Sanner / Unsplash
A conversation is the next step
Bring your questions. Begin with a conversation.
Tell the office the general nature of your matter and ask to arrange a consultation with J. Michael Considine, Jr.