Award-Winning National Legal Authority

Attorney Tina M. Patterson is a nationally recognized legal authority whose work has been cited in the Georgetown Law Journal on Poverty Law and Policy. A sought-after speaker and authority in the areas of law and executive leadership with over a decade of  expertise, Patterson has built and led widespread, influential businesses and nonprofit organizations. Her work has established her as a prominent woman in executive leadership, including Congressional recognition and being one of the handful of Black women leading major national think tanks and among the rare 2% of Black women lawyers in the United States. Patterson has been recognized in the U.S. Congressional Record and is the recipient of The City of Detroit’s Spirit of Detroit Award and The PuLSE Institute’s Economic Justice Award.

Expert Legal Counsel

Patterson established the notable law firm, Patterson Justice Counsel, PLLC, where she has secured significant results for clients, including:

✅ Saving clients’ real property from loss

✅Successfully negotiating real estate transactions

✅ Designing custom estate plans protecting valuable assets for generational wealth

✅Securing high-level and highly-publicized court victories

✅Creating thriving business organizations 

Attorney Patterson’s influential case against the Detroit Land Bank Authority continues to have impact and underscores how economic justice issues in Detroit are being closely monitored from around the country. The case became a reference point on the intersection of race, class, and public policy in the premier Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy, published by Georgetown Law, one of the nation’s most preeminent institutions of legal education, demonstrating the importance of effective advocacy for future law students, scholars and researchers interested in public interest law.

Influential Public Policy Advocate

As President of nationally renowned anti-poverty think tank The PuLSE Institute, Patterson has hosted leading voices on racial and economic justice, including Keith Ellison, Attorney General of the State of Minnesota and Top Prosecutor in the George Floyd Murder Trial. In addition, Patterson’s prolific writings on racial and economic justice for The PuLSE Institute are preserved in the University of Michigan’s Bentley Historical Library, a first-class depository that houses the papers of every governor of the State of Michigan. She was recently honored with the Institute’s Economic Justice Award in recognition of her work.

Patterson filed an amicus brief on behalf of The PuLSE Institute with the U.S. Sixth Court of Appeals in support of Detroit schoolchildren’s right to literacy. The brief, prepared by The Douglass Project, the Institute’s premiere research vessel addressing issues of race, equity, democracy and poverty, made the case that the right to literacy is a fundamental right protected by the United States Constitution, and was instrumental in reaching a settlement in favor of the children. 

A frequent analyst and sought after speaker on law, public policy, and leadership, Attorney Patterson regularly serves as a legal authority and keynote speaker advocating for equitable policies and diversity in government and business leadership. Appearances include The PuLSE Institute’s Global Women’s History Month program with keynote by UN Under-Secretary General, Dr. Natalia Kanem, as well as the Michigan Medicaid and Medicare Planning Update, where she presented before a national audience of lawyers and accountants on Financial Planning for the Elderly and Disabled.