“In employment law, the real measure of justice isn’t the speed of a settlement or the size of a quick check — it’s whether the recovery fully restores the power, security, and future that workplace misconduct took away.”

Early in my employment law career, I cold-called one of the true pioneers of plaintiffs’ work — a lawyer who helped build this field from the ground up. He didn’t have to take my call, let alone invite me to lunch, but he did. Over that meal, he gave me advice I’ve never forgotten:

“The greatest injustice you can do to a client is settle their case for less than it’s truly worth.”

That single sentence changed everything for me. It’s not just about winning or losing in court. It’s about recognizing the full value of someone’s pain, lost opportunities, and disrupted life — and refusing to leave any of it on the table.

Too often, I’ve seen capable lawyers settle strong cases far below their real potential. A $500,000 settlement gets announced internally with celebration, when a deeper look would have shown the case could reach $1 million or more. That missing money doesn’t vanish. It comes directly out of the client’s future — their ability to pay for therapy, relocate, retrain, or simply feel secure again after workplace harassment, discrimination, or retaliation.

The hard truth: many plaintiffs’ firms lack the resources, experience, or institutional knowledge to see the bigger number. They rely on instinct, pressure to clear files, or fear of prolonged litigation. The result is predictable — employees remain under-compensated while employers walk away having paid far less than the true cost of their conduct.

You're Not a Product to be Rushed Out the Door

When I founded Phillips & Associates in 2011, I set out to fix that structural problem. Most plaintiffs’ firms stay small by design or necessity, leaving individual employees outgunned by large defense firms with deep pockets and endless billable hours. I wanted to build something different: a plaintiff-side firm with the scale, depth, and strategic discipline usually reserved for corporate defense — but dedicated exclusively to employees.

That decision wasn’t theoretical. It came from my own unconventional path. Before committing to law full-time at age 48, I spent years in investment banking and real estate development — worlds where leverage, risk assessment, and timing determine outcomes. I learned how corporations think: how they value exposure, protect reputation, and decide when to settle quietly. That perspective is rare on the plaintiffs’ side, yet it’s exactly what gives us an edge. We don’t just react to defense tactics — we anticipate them.

At Phillips & Associates, accurate valuation isn’t a buzzword. It’s a disciplined process. Every case is independently reviewed by multiple senior attorneys. We then benchmark our assessment against our proprietary database of more than 8,000 employment matters handled across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida. This isn’t marketing — it’s institutional knowledge built from exclusive, high-volume plaintiffs’ work over more than a decade. Few firms have comparable data. Fewer still use it systematically.

Speed Isn’t Mastery. Low Settlements Aren’t Efficiency.

They’re shortcuts that cost clients dearly. I once had an associate call me excited about closing a case in a single week for $100,000. I asked for the file. After review, the real value was closer to $300,000. We withdrew the agreement and continued building leverage. The final settlement aligned with my valuation. That attorney no longer works here — he’s now a partner elsewhere, still closing cases quickly.

But true valuation goes deeper than dollars. Public trials, while sometimes necessary, can leave lasting public records that harm a client’s future job prospects — even when they prevail. That’s why we prioritize confidential, high-value resolutions. We’ve recovered more than $300 million for clients while protecting their privacy, reputation, and employability. Real justice includes the ability to move forward without a permanent scar that could cost the next opportunity.

Our exclusive focus on employees — never employers — creates another advantage. Unlike firms that handle employment cases alongside other practices or represent both sides, we don’t dilute our expertise. Every strategy, every precedent, every negotiation tactic is honed solely for plaintiffs under New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida laws. Combined with high volume (we’ve litigated nearly 2,000 cases — more than double most competitors), this focus produces outcomes generalists can’t match.

Perhaps the most personal driver for me is empathy born from reinvention. I’ve rebuilt my career multiple times — from finance to real estate to law — and I know what sudden disruption feels like. That lived experience shapes how we treat clients: every case gets a dedicated three-person team (lead attorney, associate, paralegal) for responsive support and swift leverage-building. We understand the human stakes because many of us have faced our own.

Employment disputes aren’t abstract legal exercises. They affect health, families, self-worth, and financial stability. When we get valuation right, we don’t just secure larger recoveries — we restore actual power to people who’ve had it stripped away.

If you’re dealing with workplace harassment, discrimination, or retaliation, the firm you choose makes all the difference. Look for one that invests in scale, data, exclusive focus, and real leverage — not just sympathy.

At Phillips & Associates, we built this firm to correct the imbalance that leaves most employees outmatched. Accurate valuation is one of the strongest ways we do it every day.

If you need help, reach out. We’re here to level the field for you.