Harry J. “Skip” Philips, Jr.'s primary areas of practice include state and federal civil trial and appellate litigation, including banking, commercial, insurance, personal injury, insurance coverage and products liability cases. His practice also includes corporate law, in which he serves as general counsel to several non-profit organizations.

He received his Juris Doctorate from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 1983 where he was the Editor- in- Chief of the Louisiana Law Review and elected to Order of the Coif. He received a Bachelor of Science from L.S.U. in 1972, where he was a distinguished military student in the Army ROTC program. He is also admitted to practice in the three federal district courts in Louisiana, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States. He serves as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Mr. Philips is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Mr. Philips is an adjunct professor of law at Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, where he teaches the course on Professional Responsibility (Legal Ethics). He is a frequent lecturer on ethics and professionalism at continuing legal education seminars. He is also the author of several law review articles.

Mr. Philips is appointed to Chair a Lawyer Disciplinary Hearing Committee by the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board. He is approved by the Louisiana Supreme Court to serve as judge pro tempore of the Baton Rouge City Court and has served as an arbitrator for the New York Stock Exchange.

Prior to attending law school, Mr. Philips was an investigator in the public corruption section of the Criminal Division of the Louisiana Attorney General’s office. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

He is the former Director of Character and Fitness for the Louisiana Supreme Court Committee on Bar Admissions and has also served as a Bar Examiner and Assistant Examiner. He is a member of the American, Baton Rouge and Louisiana State Bar Associations. He is currently serving as Second Vice-President of the Louisiana Association of (Civil) Defense Counsel.

Mr. Philips is a retired Major General in the U.S. Army Reserve. He was last assigned as Commanding General, 377th Theater Sustainment Command, New Orleans, Louisiana, where he commanded more than 30,000 Army Reserve soldiers in the United States.

Mr. Philips’ practice has included, among others, the following:

• Lead counsel for a major national bank in multi-million dollar lender liability suit;
• Lead counsel for a major national bank in several trust/ fiduciary duty suits;
• Lead counsel for a not-for-profit public hospital in an anti-trust case brought by a competing specialty hospital;
• Lead counsel for outside directors in litigation regarding failed health care corporations;
• Lead counsel for a major national insurer in numerous construction claims, both defense on the merits and coverage;
• Lead counsel for a major heavy equipment manufacturer in products liability and asbestos suits;
• Lead counsel for a major national marine and motor products manufacturer in franchise regulatory and dealer relations matters;
• Lead counsel for flagship state university in suits and claims involving business and commercial matters;
• Lead counsel for a major national property and casualty insurer in defense of personal injury and property damage claims, including bad faith claims;
• General counsel for Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, a non- profit community-owned cancer treatment facility;
• General counsel for Istrouma Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, and member of its Executive Board.

Mr. Philips was selected for inclusion in Chambers USA, Louisiana Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers.

Martindale Hubbell Peer Review Rated