James D. Phillips
About
Mr. Phillips is a founding partner of Katz & Phillips and is an experienced trial attorney in the field of criminal defense. Although Mr. Phillips knew at a very early age that he wanted to be a lawyer, he also found himself intrigued by the various fields of science. Mr. Phillips graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Mr. Phillips’ criminal trial experience began as a third year law student, when he was selected by the Rankin County Prosecutor to serve as a Certified Legal Intern. As a Certified Legal Intern, Mr. Phillips handled hundreds of criminal cases and was the lead prosecutor in multiple DUI trials. Upon graduating from Mississippi College School of Law, Mr. Phillips relocated to Florida where he served as an Assistant State Attorney for the 1st and 18th Judicial Circuits, prosecuting more than 3,000 cases with a heavy emphasis on DUI.
After serving as an Assistant State Attorney, Mr. Phillips entered the private sector as an associate in a prestigious criminal defense/family law firm. In less than a year with the firm, Mr. Phillips was promoted to Senior Associate where he was the lead attorney assigned to all major felony crimes for the firm.
Mr. Phillips’ practice is dedicated to DUI Defense and major felonies including Sex Crimes, Violent Crimes and Federal Offenses, he has and continues to represent individuals accused of misdemeanors, felonies, violent crimes, property crimes, internet crimes, terrorism, white collar crimes, drug crimes, felonies punishable by life, manslaughter and murder both at the State and Federal level.
Mr. Phillips is board certified* in DUI Defense by the National College for DUI Defense. He is a published author in the area of DUI, Criminal Defense, Self-Defense, and 2nd Amendment. He has written multiple training manuals on DUI Defense and Criminal Trial strategy utilized by criminal defense attorneys throughout the nation. Mr. Phillips has been the key speaker at multiple state and national DUI, Criminal Trial, and 2nd Amendment seminars in which he lectured and trained other attorneys. Mr. Phillips has been sought out by other attorneys to co-counsel complex DUI and sex cases. Based on his experience, peer-reviews and client reviews, Mr. Phillips has received a Superb rating for the past 12 years from AVVO, the highest level an attorney can obtain. He is also AV-Rate by Martindale-Hubbell and is recognized as a Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters. Mr. Phillips is an NRA certified Firearms Instructor and NRA Range Safety Officer. He is also a graduate of the Force Science Institute.
State and Federal Bar Admissions
- Florida State Bar
- Tennessee State Bar
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
Professional Memberships
- The National College for DUI Defense
- The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- The Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- The Central Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Association of Federal Defense Attorneys
- The Federal Bar Association
