About Calvin C. Curtis

Salt Lake City, Utah Estate Planning Attorney

Calvin C. Curtis is Utah’s preeminent attorney in elder law, special needs trusts, and estate planning for seniors and for families with a family member with a disability. His practice is limited to the following areas of law:

• Elder law, including planning for a spouse, parent or other family member needing nursing home care;
• “First party” special needs trusts for personal injury victims and individuals wanting to maintain eligibility for government benefits like Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income;
• “Third party” special needs trusts created by parents, grandparents and others wanting to leave an inheritance to a family member with a disability, without disqualifying them from eligibility for government benefits;
• Estate planning, including wills, revocable or family living trusts, powers of attorney and medical directives;
• Estate and trust administration, including will contests and family disputes, mediation and litigation;
• Guardianships and conservatorships;
• Veterans benefits, including Aid & Attendance and veterans’ appeals; and
• federal tax disputes, including IRS controversies and litigation.

Cal is a member of the Utah State Bar and American Bar Association. He was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© (2009, 2010 & 2011) and selected as a Mountain States Superlawyer © in 2008, 2010, & 2011. He is listed in the Martindale-Hubbell “Bar Register of Pre-eminent Lawyers.” His peers have awarded him the highest rating possible for his professional legal abilities and ethics (AV, Martindale-Hubbell*) and Utah Business magazine has named him one of “Utah’s Legal Elite” for eight consecutive years. He has been quoted in Utah Business magazine and in The Enterprise, and has discussed elder law issues on Good Things Utah (KTVX Channel 4, ABC Television).

Cal is a member of the prestigious Special Needs Alliance, a national network of select attorneys focusing on special needs trusts. Cal is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), and is Certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. Cal is also the program chair for the annual “Utah Elder Law, Estate Planning and Medicaid Planning” seminar, held each fall in Salt Lake City.

Cal graduated with his J.D. degree from the University of Utah College of Law, and later obtained an advanced LL.M degree in Tax Law from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He began his legal career as a Trial Attorney in the Tax Division, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. He later worked as a shareholder at two of Salt Lake City’s largest and most prestigious law firms, Ray, Quinney & Nebeker and Van Cott, Bagley, Cornwall and McCarthy.

Cal has served as Board Chair of Easter Seals Utah (2001-2002) and also served on the Planned Giving Committee of the University of Utah. He speaks frequently to professional groups and disability organizations on elder law and special needs trusts. He resides in Davis County with his wife, Melanie, and their two children, Kaitlyn and Ethan.

* CV, BV and AV are registered Certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies.