Jacqueline Marie Phillips

Professional Recognition:

Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers - 2011-2013 - Martindale-Hubbell

Achieved AV Preeminent Rating by Martindale-Hubbell - 1997-2013 - AV rating is exclusive to attorneys who have achieved the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards.

Academy Award, Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts & Sciences - Co-Producer, Best Documentary Short Subject - 1978

Philosophy:

Ms. Phillips places a high value on listening to the client's needs and producing results in the best interest of the client and in a cost effective and timely manner.  

Key goals include, producing nothing but the best work.  She thrives working for clients who expect nothing less.

Profile:

Ms. Phillips has been called "a lawyer's lawyer" by attorneys who have known her for over 25 years.  

Ms. Phillips has extensive experience in both complex business and real estate litigation and transactional work.  She is known as an attorney with exceptional analytical and problem solving abilities.  In her experience one of the key problems that delays resolution and increases legal costs in a dispute, is the failure of the attorneys on both sides, very early in the case, to focus on the issues that will be determinative of the outcome.  Ms. Phillips prides herself on being the exception in this regard. 

After Ms. Phillips' first 10 years of practice she received the AV Rating from Martindale-Hubbell in Los Angeles jurisdiction for the Highest Possible Rating in Both Legal Ability & Ethical Standards. 

Experience:

Law Offices of Jacqueline M. Phillips.

Real Estate. Ms. Phillips has represented nationally known real estate developers such as Benderson Development, Inc. out of Sarasota, Florida as well as smaller developers, owners and design professionals.  Ms. Phillips has been married to a real estate developer and licensed architect/builder and general contractor for over 22 years who specializes in high end luxury single family homes.   Ms. Phillips has been personally involved in the development and sale of over a dozen luxury homes in California, Florida and Hawaii. 

In her own firm, Ms. Phillips represented Benderson Development, Inc., a major shopping center and subdivision developer as co-counsel in litigation regarding engineering malpractice and as sole counsel in a Federal Tort Claim, arising out of the crash of an F16 on the client's property.  

Having been on both sides of the fence, personally and professionally, Ms. Phillips offers unique experience and expertise to advise owners, real estate brokers, architects, engineers and general contractors in virtually any matter.  She welcomes the opportunity to be of such service. 

Although her current focus is primarily on real estate related matters, Ms. Phillips brings a wealth of knowledge and close to 25 years of experience, including in such fields as Entertainment Law, Professional Malpractice, Securities Fraud Litigation, and Environmental Litigation.

Of Counsel, Vittal and Sternberg:

While Of Counsel to Vittal and Sternberg, Ms. Phillips co-chaired the defense of a general partner for alleged breach of a $20,000,000 commercial real estate loan agreement where the lender sought a $1,000,000 penalty for failure to close the loan.

Senior Attorney at Rogers & Wells' Los Angeles Office:

Ms. Phillips handled environmental PRP litigation and complex business litigation cases including defense of D&O's, shareholder and security fraud litigation, accountant malpractice in both federal and state courts and on appeal.

Senior Attorney at Shea & Gould's Los Angeles Office:

Ms. Phillips gained extensive experience on federal and state matters, including handling depositions, discovery, settlements, trial and appellate matters - considered the go-to person in the litigation department to handle complex matters for defense of major clients.

Production Attorney at Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Beverly Hills:

Ms. Phillips was Staff Production Counsel for the Motion Picture and Television Division.  Bringing a wealth of knowledge from her prior experience as a licensed talent agent and WGA signatory, Ms. Phillips represented the studio in producer, writer, director, actor, production, distribution and licensing agreements, including contracts for Tom Hanks, Signorey Weaver and others.  She also provided the studio with copyright opinions in connection with the acquisition of film and television rights.

Extern-Clerkship - Federal Court.

From January through May 1984, Ms. Phillips was an extern-clerk for the Hon. Wm. Matthew J. Byrne, Jr. , Chief Justice, U.S. District Court, Central District, Los Angeles.  

Alternate Dispute Resolution - Services as Mediator or Arbitrator:

Ms. Phillips also is available to act as a mediator or arbitrator in real estate, construction, attorney-client disputes, professional malpractice and entertainment law matters.  She has served as a court appointed arbitrator for the Hawaii First Circuit Court, Honolulu.

Admitted to Practice Before The Following Courts:

California State Bar (1985), Florida State Bar (1997) Hawaii State Bar (2003)

United States District Court, Central District, CA (1985)

United States District Court, Northern District, CA (1990)

United States District Court, Middle District of FL - Tampa (1997)

United States District Court, Hawaii (2003)

United States Court of Apeals for the Ninth Circuit (1985)

U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals (2006)

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (2007)

Other Professional Legal Experience/Education.

Ms. Phillips is a 2007 graduate of the prestigious Strauss Institute's intensive Advanced Mediation, Mediating the Litigated Case seminar, Pepperdine University's George L. Graziadio School of Business & Managment and of the NITA, the National Institute For Trial Advocacy's 2000 Florida Regional.  She also holds a professional certification from the University of California, Santa Cruz, Ext. in Environmental Studies - Hazardous Materials Management, 1994.

Experience Prior to Practice of Law: Documentary Films.

Prior to practicing law, Ms. Phillips worked in documentary films with her husband, Ben Shedd in their own company, Shedd Productions, Inc.   She won an Oscar in April 1979 for a short documentary, The Flight of the Gossamer Condor, about the first airplane and its inventor, Dr. Paul MacCready, to win the prestigious Kremer Prize for designing, building and  successfully flying an airplace around a figure 8 course, taking off and landing solely on its own man-powered engine.   During the making of that film, the original funders, WGBH in Boston, decided that Dr. MacCready would never succeed and pulled out their funding of the project leaving Ms. Phillips and her husband in considerable debt and owing some $60,000 to DuArt in New York who threatened to auction off the negative if not paid.   Ms. Phillips (Phillips-Shedd) and Ben Shedd were represented by Peter Hoffman at Irell & Manella in Los Angeles, on a pro-bono/reduced fee basis of $50.00 per hour to attempt to resolve the dispute with WGBH.   During that representation, Mr. Hoffman told Ms. Phillips that "he'd hate to get up against you in court"..."you should go to law school."    Ms. Phillips decided that if she could get into a good law school, she would, as she also had a 5 year old daughter to support as a single mother.  Subsquently, Ms. Phillips divorced, was accepted to the University of Southern California's School of Law and graduated with her J.D. in 1985.  Between 1969 and 1976, Ms. Phillips assisted and worked to support her husband for him to attend and graduate with a Masters in Cinema from the University of Southern California.  It was with a great deal of love and pride for the school and a sense of an accomplishment, that Ms. Phillips was able to return to USC in the fall of 1982 to attend law school there. 

Literary Agent.

 Between winning the Oscar in 1979 and starting law school in 1982, Ms. Phillips worked as a literary agent for H.N. Swanson, Inc. ("Swanie"), Writers & Artists, Inc. and in her own agent, The Jacqueline Shedd Agency, in Beverly Hills, representing writers, directors and producers.