William K. Phillips

“Before there was #MeToo, there was Bill Phillips.” — Downtown Magazine

William K. Phillips is the Managing Partner and Founder of Phillips & Associates, one of the nation’s premier plaintiffs’ employment-law firms representing victims of sexual harassment, discrimination, and workplace retaliation in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

Referred to by Downtown Magazine as “a relentless advocate who built one of the most powerful employment law firms in the country,” Phillips has spent his career standing up for employees who were harassed, coerced, or silenced by people in positions of power.

Under his leadership, Phillips & Associates has handled more than 8,000 employment matters and litigated nearly 2,000 cases—more than double most competing firms—giving his team exceptional leverage to achieve confidential, high-value settlements. The firm has recovered more than $300 million for employees, achieving life-changing results while protecting each client’s privacy, reputation, and career.

A National Powerhouse for Workplace Justice

Featured in Business Fortune’s cover story “Standing Strong for Workplace Justice,” Phillips explained his mission:

“Our clients face enormous pressure. We give them the legal firepower, empathy, and teamwork to protect their careers and rebuild their lives.”

Drawing on his background in investment banking and real-estate development, Phillips built a litigation model that merges business insight, strategic negotiation, and legal precision. Each client is represented by a three-person team—a lead attorney, associate, and paralegal—ensuring speed, support, and results.

With more than 18 litigation teams operating across multiple states, Phillips & Associates combines the scale and infrastructure of a national firm with the compassion and responsiveness of a boutique practice. The firm’s systems and results have made it one of the most emulated plaintiffs’ employment-law firms in the United States.

“Other firms may try to imitate us, but we remain the ones clients trust with the most sensitive cases of their lives.” — Business Fortune

Corporate Accountability and National Co-Counsel Litigation

While best known for his leadership in employment law, William K. Phillips has also become a trusted partner in national co-counsel and corporate-accountability litigation. His drive to hold powerful entities responsible extends beyond the workplace into complex, multi-district product-liability and toxic-tort actions.

Through strategic collaborations with elite plaintiffs’ firms such as Levin Papantonio Rafferty, Arnold & Itkin, and Weitz & Luxenberg, Phillips has contributed to high-stakes national cases involving pharmaceutical injuries, environmental contamination, and consumer protection.

This broader litigation portfolio reinforces his core mission—to ensure that no corporation, regardless of size or influence, escapes accountability for the harm it causes. Whether in the boardroom, the factory, or the courtroom, Phillips brings the same strategic discipline and tenacity that define his employment-law practice.

Awards & Recognition

• Best Lawyers in America – Best New York Labor & Employment Lawyers (2025)
• Top 10 Best Labor & Employment Law Firms – Best of the Best Attorneys (2025)
• Top 10 Employment Law Firms – Attorney & Practice Magazine (2025)
• Lawyer of the Year – American Institute of Legal Professionals
• Lawyers of Distinction – Recognized Member (Employment and Labor Law)
• Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum Member

Professional Background

Before founding Phillips & Associates, Mr. Phillips served as Vice President of Fieldstone Private Capital Group, a New York investment bank where he managed international mergers, acquisitions, and restructurings in the aviation sector. He later led TPG Design, overseeing more than $17 million in real-estate holdings for his own account.

With a foundation in business strategy, finance, and negotiation, Phillips brings an uncommon mix of corporate insight and courtroom tenacity to the representation of victims of workplace misconduct. He is the attorney that employees turn to when the stakes are high—when the person harassing or retaliating against them is a CEO, business owner, law-firm partner, or senior executive. Clients rely on his ability to navigate power dynamics, expose cover-ups, and negotiate outcomes that protect both their careers and dignity.

Recognized by Business Leaders Review as the founder of “one of the largest and most respected employment-discrimination law firms in the region,” Phillips combines strategic leverage with compassion, providing the strength and skill it takes to stand up to the most powerful employers in America.

Education and Admissions

• St. Thomas University School of Law, J.D. (1993)
• New York Law School, Entertainment and Real-Estate Law Studies
• College of Staten Island, B.A. Sociology and Anthropology, magna cum laude
• Admitted to Practice: New York State; U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of New York; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

Professional Memberships

• American Bar Association
• National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA)
• New York State Trial Lawyers Association
• New York County Lawyers Association
• Brooklyn Bar Association
• American Society of Legal Advocates
• Lawyers of Distinction
• Million and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum

Media and Thought Leadership

Phillips has been profiled in Business Fortune, Business Leaders Review, Downtown Magazine, Lawyer Monthly, and Medium. His commentary focuses on sexual harassment by supervisors, retaliation after rejecting advances, and power dynamics in workplace relationships.

He is Co-Host of the upcoming National Plaintiffs’ Summit on Sexual Harassment and Employment Discriminationat the Eden Roc Miami Beach, bringing together attorneys, psychologists, and policy leaders to advance workplace-rights reform.

“People in power have always used leverage to silence their victims. We are here to change that.”
— William K. Phillips

Beyond the Law

Outside the courtroom, Phillips supports the arts and education, is a published fashion and portrait photographer, and an avid athlete who enjoys weight training, swimming, tennis, and basketball. He divides his time between New York and Miami while mentoring the next generation of civil-rights attorneys.