Edward G. Phillips

Edward (“Ward”) Phillips has a wealth of knowledge and trial experience in his practice areas of Labor and Employment Law. Ward represents management exclusively in all areas of employment and labor relations, including state and federal employment litigation and in administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the United States Department of Labor, and the National Labor Relations Board. He is a forceful, effective litigator. Ward has been described by Chambers and Partners USA as, "one of the most talented lawyers in the state with a varied practice of litigation avoidance and successful litigation." Employment law is his passion, and he gives his clients timely prospective advice (i.e., how to deal with problem employees and structure policies).

For his Employment and Labor law practice, the prestigious peer-review publication, The Best Lawyers in America, selected Ward for inclusion to its list from 1995 through 2024, and also selected him as Lawyer of the Year Litigation - Labor and Employment, Knoxville for 2024. Mid-South Super Lawyers, another highly respected publication which uses a multi-phased selection process, including independent research and peer nominations and evaluations, selected him to its list for the years 2006-2010, 2012-2024 for his Employment Litigation Defense.

Ward co-authors an Employment Law column, The Law at Work in the Tennessee Bar Journal. This column has been cited by federal and state courts on the topic of Employment Law. See Sadlar v. Tyson Foods, Inc. (W.D. Tenn. May 27, 2022); Hardy v. TPC Southwind (Tenn. Ct. App. July 2, 2015); Lindsey v. Shelby Co. Bd of Educ. (W.D. Tenn. Feb. 19, 2019)

Ward focuses his practice on:

· Litigation avoidance/prospective advice

· Litigation in all types of employment law cases in state and federal courts

· FLSA – collective actions

· Discrimination, retaliation, harassment and whistleblower

· Unfair competition and trade secrets

· Religious institutions (Diocesan counsel for the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville)

· Education

Ward has also been instrumental in developing training programs in many areas of employment relations. Ward has presented the Knoxville Bar Association’s Annual Employment Law Update for over two decades.