Celebrated former jurist awarded the Academy’s highest honor.
OCALA, Fla., Aug. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals (NADN) is pleased to present their annual Distinguished Neutral of the Year Award to Academy Member, Hon. Layn Phillips, in recognition of Lifetime Achievement in Commercial Mediation.
Judge Phillips is in that very short list of US mediators that firms go to when a complex commercial case seems intractable – and, time and again, he finds a way to move the parties towards settlement.
“We’re delighted to recognize Judge Phillips for more than 2 decades at the forefront of complex, commercial mediation practice,” said Darren Lee, NADN’s Executive Director. “Judge Phillips has a sterling reputation with senior counsel nationally from both sides of the bar and has been trusted by prominent firms to help settle some of the highest profile cases of recent years. He’s in that very short list of US mediators that firms go to when a complex commercial case seems intractable – and, time and again, Judge Phillips finds a way to move the parties towards settlement.”
Judge Phillips is both a former United States Attorney and a former United States District Judge. He began his judicial
career in Oklahoma City at age 35 following his appointment by President Reagan, presiding over more than 140 trials in Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. He also sat by designation on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Denver, Colorado, where he participated in numerous panel decisions and published opinions.
After leaving the federal bench, he joined the renowned firm of Irell & Manella, in Newport Beach, California, where for 23 years he specialized in complex civil litigation, internal investigations and dispute resolution. In 2004, he left the firm to found Phillips ADR Enterprises, an ADR firm focusing exclusively on the mediation of complex disputes. For over 20 years now, he has presided over cases that have collectively resulted in billions of dollars in settlements annually.
Some of Judge Phillips’ notable settlements include: the NFL Concussion Litigation, the Michigan State University Sexual Abuse litigation, the Merck Vioxx Securities case, the Bank of America / Merrill Lynch Acquisition litigation, the High Tech Employees Antitrust litigation, the Anthem Data Breach Litigation, the Walmart Consolidated Wage & Hour Litigation, and the Wells Fargo Financial Account Securities case. He also served for several years as the NBA Systems Arbitrator, and most recently, co-mediated the Purdue Opioid settlement alongside Kenneth Feinberg, recipient of NADN’s highest honor in 2023.
Over recent years, he has received several honors – Chambers & Partners have consistently named him in the top tier of mediators in the USA; as a result of his trial work, Judge Phillips was elected into the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Judge Phillips currently resides in Laguna Beach, California with his wife, Kathryn. He has three grown children and enjoys being a grandfather to his grandchildren, Stella & Owen.
Media Contact
Kathy Vazqueztell, NADN, 1 813 600 3678, support@nadn.org, www.NADN.org
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SOURCE NADN
