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Lawyer Profile

Image of Carter G. Phillips

Carter G. Phillips

Sidley Austin LLP
Best Lawyers Advisory Board Member
  • Recognized Since:
    2006
  • Recognized in:
    Appellate Practice
    Bet-the-Company Litigation...
  • Website:
    http://www.sidley.com
  • Location:
    1501 K Street, NW
    Washington, DC 20005
"Carter Phillips is my all-time favorite lawyer for any matter!"
"Carter Phillips has handled two significant cases for us, including one before the U.S. Supreme Court. Much has been written and said about his legendary appellate work. It's all true. He is a brilliant lawyer with the best oratory skills I've seen. He is the go-to lawyer for bet-the-company cases."

-Timothy Feagans (Saint-Gobain Corporation), Valley Forge

Read More Client Comments
  • Lawyer Bio
  • Client Comments
  • Firm Details

Lawyer Bio

Carter G. Phillips is the chair of the firm’s Executive Committee and was the managing partner of its Washington, D.C. office from 1995 to 2012. He served as a law clerk to both Judge Robert Sprecher on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and Chief Justice Warren E. Burger on the United States Supreme Court. Carter also served as Assistant to the Solicitor General. Carter Phillips has argued 75 cases before the Supreme Court since joining Sidley, which is more than any other lawyer while in private practice. He also argued 9 cases before the Court on behalf of the federal government during his tenure in the Solicitor General’s office, for a total of 84 arguments before the Court. Carter also has argued more than 120 cases in United States courts of appeals, including at least one in every circuit in the country, and more than 30 in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Carter’s advocacy on behalf of clients has earned him acknowledgement in numerous publications. An academic study of Supreme Court briefs from 1946 to 2013 found Carter to be one of the most successful lawyers to argue in front of the Supreme Court. The analysis, “Who Wins in the Supreme Court? An Examination of Attorney and Law Firm Influence,” led the author to conclude that “not only is Phillips a seasoned Supreme Court litigator, but he is also one of the most successful Supreme Court brief-writers.”

In recognition of Carter’s litigation success, he has been ranked among the nation’s top lawyers by Chambers USA, The Legal 500 United States, Benchmark Litigation, The Best Lawyers in America, Who’s Who Legal and the National Law Journal. Carter consistently is recognized by Chambers USA as being in the nation’s top tier of appellate lawyers and regularly receives the directory’s highest level “Star” ranking. That publication said that Carter is “one of the leading lights of the appellate Bar, described as ‘a truly unique talent’ whose incredible expertise sees him appear frequently before the Supreme Court.” Over the years, sources have told Chambers that Carter is “in a league of his own” with “a CV that stretches from the U.S. to London,” noting especially that he “enjoys a lot of credibility with the Supreme Court and has an amazing track record,” and that “there’s nobody quite like him on an appellate issue.” Benchmark Litigation also names Carter a “Litigation Star,” calling him “a household name” in the appellate world.

Carter’s practice has been featured in articles in Forbes, the American Lawyer, Business Week, Legal Times, the National Law Journal, USA Today and Legal Business (a publication in England). He frequently speaks at conferences, law schools and before industry groups regarding his experience before the Supreme Court.

Read more on firm website
  • Award List
  • Additional Information
  • Lawyer of the Year Badge
  • Lawyer of the Year Badge
  • Lawyer of the Year Badge
  • Lawyer of the Year Badge

Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers for:

  • Bet-the-Company Litigation, Washington, D.C. (2021)
  • Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy), Washington, D.C. (2020)
  • Media Law, Washington, D.C. (2019)
  • Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy), Washington, DC (2012)
 

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for work in:

  • Appellate Practice
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • First Amendment Law
  • Litigation - First Amendment
  • Litigation - Patent
  • Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)
  • Media Law
 

Awards:

  • National Law Journal’s list of Litigation Trailblazers
  • Who’s Who Legal: Business Crime Defense list
  • The Legal 500, Carter is recommended as a “Leading Lawyer.”
  • 2013 National Law Journal list of “The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America.”
  • Washingtonian magazine named Carter to its list of Washington’s Best Lawyers as one of the region’s “best legal minds” for his Supreme Court practice, every year since 2013
  • top 10 among Super Lawyers magazine’s Top 100 lawyers in Washington, from 2007–2016
  • on Law360’s list of Appellate MVPs
  • “The Decade’s Most Influential Lawyers” in 2010 by the National Law Journal

Special Focus:

  • Administrative
  • Appellate
  • Arbitration
  • Civil Litigation
  • Complex Litigation
  • Environmental
  • Federal
  • First Amendment
  • Intellectual Property
  • Labor and Employment
  • Product Liability
  • Regulatory
  • Supreme Court
  • Transportation
 

Lawyer Client Comments

"Carter Phillips is my all-time favorite lawyer for any matter!"

"Carter Phillips has handled two significant cases for us, including one before the U.S. Supreme Court. Much has been written and said about his legendary appellate work. It's all true. He is a brilliant lawyer with the best oratory skills I've seen. He is the go-to lawyer for bet-the-company cases."

Timothy Feagans, Saint-Gobain Corporation, Valley Forge

"Carter Phillips is deeply experienced and sees across appellate issues to the big result."

"Carter Phillips is an extraordinary lawyer with impeccable people skills. He is always "top of mind" when selecting counsel."

"Carter Phillips is without equal in his experience and familiarity with the U.S. Supreme Court. I cannot imagine asking any other attorney to represent my company in that Court. Even with his superb reputation, Carter is extremely pleasant and easy to work with and a true gentleman."

Firm Details

Image for Sidley Austin LLP
Sidley Austin LLP
http://www.sidley.com
 
Headquarters
One South Dearborn
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 853.7000
23 Office Locations
in 10 Countries

Australia

Australia

Sydney, Australia

Level 10

7 Macquarie Place

Sydney NSW 2000

Australia

612 8214 2200

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Belgium

Brussels, Belgium

NEO Building

Rue Montoyer 51

Montoyerstraat

Brussels 1000

Belgium

32 2 504 6400

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China: Global Firms

China: Global Firms

Beijing, China: Global Firms

Suite 608, Tower C2, Oriental Plaza

No. 1 East Chang An Avenue

Dong Cheng District

Beijing 100738

China: Global Firms

86 10 5905 5588

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Suite 2009, 5 Corporate Avenue

150 Hubin Road

Shanghai 200021

China: Global Firms

86 21 2322 9322

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Germany

Germany

Munich, Germany

Maximilianstrasse 35

Munich 80539

Germany

49 89 24440 9100

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Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Level 39, Two International Finance Centre

Eight Finance Street

Hong Kong

Hong Kong

852 2509 7888

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Japan

Japan

Tokyo, Japan

Nishikawa Foreign Law Joint Enterprise

Marunouchi Building 23F

4-1, Marunouchi 2-chome

Chiyoda-Ku

Tokyo 100-6323

Japan

81 3 3218 5900

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Singapore

Singapore, Singapore

Level 31

Six Battery Road

Singapore 049909

Singapore

65 6230 3900

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Genève, Switzerland

Rue du Pré-de-la-Bichette 1

Genève 1202

Switzerland

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United Kingdom

United Kingdom

London, United Kingdom

70 Saint Mary Axe

London EC2V 5HA

United Kingdom

44 20 7360 3600

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United States

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California

California

Costa Mesa, CA

695 Town Center Drive, Suite 400

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

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(714) 338.0064

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888 Prospect Street, Suite 200

La Jolla, CA 92037

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(310) 595.9780

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1999 Avenue of the Stars, 17th Floor

Los Angeles, CA 90067

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(310) 595.9500

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555 West Fifth Street

Los Angeles, CA 90013

United States

(213) 896.6000

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1001 Page Mill Road, Building One

Palo Alto, CA 94304

United States

(650) 565.7000

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San Francisco, CA

555 California Street, Suite 2000

San Francisco, CA 94104

United States

(415) 772.1200

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District of Columbia

District of Columbia

Washington, DC

1501 K Street, NW

Washington, DC 20005

United States

(202) 736.8000

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Maryland

Maryland

Baltimore, MD

100 International Drive, Suite 2000

Baltimore, MD 21202

United States

(410) 559.2881

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Massachusetts

Massachusetts

Boston, MA

60 State Street, 36th Floor

Boston, MA 02109

United States

(617) 223.0300

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New York

New York

New York, NY

787 Seventh Avenue

New York, NY 10019

United States

(212) 839.5300

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Texas

Texas

Dallas, TX

2021 McKinney Avenue, Suite 2000

Dallas, TX 75201

United States

(214) 981.3300

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Houston, TX

1000 Louisiana Street, Suite 5900

Houston, TX 77002

United States

(713) 495.4500

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