With energy, tenacity and a street-smart attitude rare among most lawyers today, Gerry Curran is one of Virginia’s most successful divorce attorneys. Now in his 50s and having built a Fairfax-based practice with Grant Moher and Jason Weis, the Philadelphia native is a seasoned litigator, and one of the region’s go-to attorneys for complex, contentious cases. Peers say he is ferociously competitive, and his record reflects it. Curran’s remarkably independent career path - of trying cases, first out of his apartment offices as a recent law-school graduate, and later from a small office - suggests a unique resourcefulness, drive and ambition. “My parents came from very little and were self-made through education and hard work. They instilled in my brothers and me an uncompromising work ethic.” The son of a dentist and a psychiatrist, Curran attended the University of Pennsylvania and majored in political science.

After graduating from Penn, Curran visited a friend in Los Angeles and decided to apply to law schools on the West Coast. (“I had seen the East Coast and wanted to try a completely different atmosphere”). He enrolled in the University of Southern California’s Law Center. Back then divorce law was “the farthest thing from my mind” but from the start he loved the rough-and-tumble challenge of the courtroom. In many respects the role of fearless litigator has come naturally to Curran. Peers say he’s tough, competitive and relentless. After graduating from USC, Curran moved briefly to Philadelphia, but moved to Washington when offered a position at a well-known political organization. Unsatisfied, Curran left that job in less than a year. Wanting to enter the private practice of law, but without any contacts in the area, he quickly passed the Virginia State Bar, and launched a practice out of his apartment in Arlington, representing everyday folks in small commercial disputes and estate matters. Two years later he rented a small office in Falls Church, took on his first matrimonial cases and soon gained a reputation as an aggressive advocate. Divorce and family law became his focus.

Four years later, the renowned Robert Shoun hired the energetic young Curran, helping to move that firm to a higher level. In 2012 Curran launched his own practice, based in Fairfax. Curran credits his success to fortuitous timing: “Northern Virginia has grown exponentially in the years I’ve lived here. It seems like the population has at least doubled and the business climate is exceptionally vibrant.” He remains somewhat surprised by all of it: “If you said I was going to be a divorce lawyer when I was in law school, I would’ve said you were crazy.” Easygoing, but with a fairly intense countenance (adding to an effective courtroom presence), Curran stays fit by lifting weights, running and martial arts training. He and his wife Susan enjoy the outdoors, and have spent considerable time hiking, fishing and rafting in the western U.S., most often in Montana and Wyoming. They live in Loudoun County.