Thomas R. Phillips > Baker Botts L.L.P. > Austin, United States > Lawyer Profile

Thomas R. Phillips

+1 512 322 2565 tom.phillips@bakerbotts.com View profile

Work Department

Litigation

Position

Partner

Career

State District Judge, Harris County, 1981-88; Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Texas, 1988-2004; Visiting Professor, South Texas College of Law and SMU Law School, 2004-05; Partner, Baker Botts LLP, 2005-present.

Memberships

Board Certified Civil Trial Law; American Law Institute; American Academy of Appellate Lawyers; CPR Texas Panel of Distinguished Neutrals; Conference of Chief Justices (Past President); Texas Judicial Districts Board; Bipartisan Texas Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee.

Education

BA, Baylor 1971; JD, Harvard, 1974, Honorary D.H.L., St. Edward’s University, 1998, Honorary LL.D., Texas Tech University, 1997.

Personal

Publications
“The Merits of Merit Selection,” 32 Harv. J. L. Pub. Pol. 67 (2009); “The Constitutional Right to a Remedy,” 78 NYU L Rev. 1309 (2003); “State Supreme Courts: Local Courts in a Global World,” 38 Tex. Int’l LJ 557 (2003); “Judicial Recusal in a Post-White World,” 55 Drake L Rev 691 (2007).

Awards and Recognitions:
Pro Texana Meritorious Achievement Award, Baylor University, 2013
Outstanding Mentor Award, Texas Young Lawyers, 2010
Carrico Judicial Innovation Award, National Center for State Courts, 2005
Champion of Children Award, Dallas CASA, 2004
Kleinman Award, Texas Equal Access to Justice Foundation, 2004
Professionalism in Law Award, Burton Awards for Legal Achievement, 2004