In the professional landscape where harassment, discrimination, and retaliation are pervasive yet profoundly underreported due to fear and a gross power imbalance, employees facing workplace misconduct are typically expected to stand alone and outmatched. William K. Phillips, the Founder and Managing Partner of Phillips & Associates, built his firm with one core mission: to give employees, especially women, equal power in this fight. Drawing on an unconventional background in finance and real estate fields where leverage and risk are tangible forces, Phillips returned to law with a singular, corrective vision.
He is not simply practicing law differently; he is systematically correcting a power imbalance by building a plaintiff-side firm with the scale, resources, and strategic rigor of elite corporate defense, using that strength to restore power, career paths, and dignity to individuals. This deeply personal mission grew from witnessing loved ones face intimidation and a firm belief that no one should choose between dignity and career. His proven credibility includes over 8,000 matters handled and $300+ million recovered, growing Phillips & Associates from a solo practice in 2011 into one of the region’s leading plaintiff-side employment firms, with offices from New York to Florida.
A Firm Built to Right the Scales of Workplace Justice
In the high-stakes world of employment law, one firm set out to rewrite the rules by ensuring employees never stand alone, and when William K. Phillips founded Phillips & Associates, his purpose was both clear and deeply human: to confront a persistent structural imbalance in which individuals are left to challenge employers backed by overwhelming legal and financial power by building a plaintiff-side firm that rivals the scale, preparation, and resources of elite corporate defense teams while serving employees exclusively.
From the outset, the firm was purpose-built to take on complex litigation or achieve discreet, high-stakes resolutions, always placing a client’s career, reputation, and future first. More than a decade later, it has grown into one of the region’s most active advocates for workers, with offices spanning four states. Its impact is felt in tangible outcomes over 8,000 employment matters handled, nearly 2,000 cases litigated, and more than $300 million recovered for employees who found the courage to challenge workplace misconduct.
The Unconventional Experience That Shapes a Unique Practice
William K. Phillips’s path to the law was as unconventional as the firm he built. From growing up in Brooklyn to building a career that spanned international modeling, finance, investment banking, and real estate development, each experience shaped his understanding of power, leverage, and real-world risk, where decisions directly affect livelihoods and reputations.
Entering the legal profession at 48, William K. Phillips quickly recognized the same high-stakes dynamics he had encountered throughout his earlier career playing out in employment disputes, understanding that outcomes hinge not just on statutes but on timing, discretion, leverage, and meticulous preparation when a person’s career is at risk a hard-earned insight that became the foundation of the firm’s philosophy, where today every client at Phillips & Associates is backed by a dedicated three-person legal team and firm-wide resources to pursue strategies that balance legal results with real-world consequences.
Founding Principles Forged Through Personal Challenge
Building his firm from the ground up in mid-career, William K. Phillips faced the formidable challenge of starting fresh without a traditional legal pedigree or network. He stepped into a new profession while supporting a family, a journey that demanded extraordinary persistence and humility. He approached it with careful observation and continuous learning, listening attentively and treating every small achievement as a meaningful step forward.
These formative struggles directly shaped his leadership style and deep empathy, particularly for clients experiencing the destabilizing shock of sudden job loss or workplace retaliation.“I understand that personally,” William K. Phillips notes, “We approach every case knowing these disputes disrupt careers, families, and reputations. That lived experience drives us to build immediate leverage, move decisively, and prioritize discreet resolutions that protect the client’s privacy, dignity, and future earning potential—without forcing them into public exposure.”
Core Lessons in Advocacy and Leadership
- Choose your mission and serve one side with unwavering consistency.
- Developing deep, jurisdictional expertise is the foundation of true advocacy.
- Treat clients with respect and clarity; you are handling their dignity, not just a case.
- Build a culture where integrity and effort are valued above all.
- Lead by example; no work is beneath you when it serves the client’s cause.
- The ultimate reward is restoring a person’s control over their career and future.
Unwavering Advocacy for the Individual
In a legal landscape where many firms represent both sides, Phillips & Associates made a clear and deliberate choice to stand solely with employees, forming the heart of the firm, which intentionally never takes cases for employers or strays beyond employment law, a focus driven by the understanding that cases involving sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and whistleblower claims demand not just legal expertise but a nuanced grasp of power dynamics, workplace culture, and the real-life impact on those affected.
By concentrating solely in this arena, the firm has honed specialized systems, training, and litigation strategies that provide a distinct edge, creating a depth of expertise difficult to achieve in a general practice. Opposing defense attorneys are familiar with the firm’s meticulous approach, where every case is developed thoroughly with robust documentation, witness strategy, and legal analysis built to prevail in litigation. Yet, understanding the human element at stake, the firm is equally adept at achieving confidential resolutions that protect a client’s privacy and career trajectory. “Our clients are often still employed when they contact us,” William K. Phillips explains, highlighting the real-world tension. “The strategy must account for that reality. The goal is not noise. The goal is leverage and results.”
Strategy, Discretion, and Dignity in Action
The true measure of a firm’s mission lies in its real-world impact, exemplified by a signature case Phillips often cites, involving a mid-level executive subjected to repeated quid pro quo advances from a senior supervisor, including unwanted requests for dates, inappropriate comments on her appearance, and implied professional consequences. Fearful of retaliation and reputational damage in her tight-knit industry, she sought the firm’s help for protection and justice.
The firm’s strategy relied on calibrated discretion, building leverage quietly rather than escalating publicly. Drawing on experience from thousands of cases, Phillips & Associates crafted an approach addressing both legal claims and the client’s long-term professional interests, resulting in a confidential negotiation that secured a seven-figure settlement while allowing the client to preserve her career trajectory, receive meaningful compensation, and avoid public exposure. “That outcome reflects what we aim to do,” William K. Phillips says. “Correct the imbalance, protect the individual, and allow them to move forward with dignity.”
Anticipating the Next Frontier of Workplace Risk
Staying ahead of workplace safety trends is crucial for Phillips & Associates to protect clients in a changing professional landscape, as the firm tracks misconduct through extensive case intake and litigation experience, recognizing that remote and hybrid work brings risks like blurred boundaries, excessive monitoring, intrusive off-hours communication, and isolation-driven harassment, while digital privacy and mental health accommodations have become increasingly urgent, especially amid retaliation, and by leveraging its intentional structure, the firm applies strategy, expertise, and foresight to safeguard employees effectively.
Unlike dispersed practices, Phillips & Associates maintains on-site staff across its offices, fostering close collaboration that enables early identification of emerging trends. The firm commits to continuous training and partners with psychologists and policy experts to deeply understand the intersection of mental health and workplace law. Extending its mission beyond litigation, the firm founded HarassmentHelp.org, a vital resource platform designed for early education and prevention to help employees understand their rights before a crisis escalates.
Fear, Compliance, and Cultural Change
Through its front-line perspective, Phillips & Associates gains vital insights into the human behaviors that shape workplace safety or its absence. A key finding is that despite increased awareness, the fear of retaliation remains the greatest barrier to reporting misconduct, with many employees perceiving the consequences of speaking up as more threatening than the misconduct itself, leading to a paralyzing silence. At the same time, William K. Phillips observes that employers often treat compliance as a procedural checklist, focusing on distributing policies and conducting training rather than embedding a genuine cultural commitment to safety and accountability.
This often creates a dangerous gap where written protocols exist but real accountability remains inconsistent, and Phillips emphasizes that addressing this requires a fundamental shift, stating, “Real progress requires early intervention and genuine protection against retaliation,” highlighting the essential ingredients for change, with a clear path forward: systems must ensure employees understand their rights early and feel safe reporting concerns, fostering a culture that leads to better outcomes for everyone involved.
More than a Decade of Demonstrated Impact and Earned Recognition
1. Firm at a Glance
| Category | Details |
| Founder & Leader | William K. Phillips, Founder and Managing Partner |
| Core & Mission | To level the real power imbalance by putting employees on equal footing — giving them the same legal firepower, resources, and leverage that employers get from large defense firms. |
| Exclusive Focus | Represents employees only in workplace cases; does not represent employers or practice other areas of law |
| Geographic Reach | Offices in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida |
2. Impact & Scale
| Metric | Figure |
| Total Matters Handled | Over 8,000 employment matters |
| Cases Litigated | Nearly 2,000 Litigated |
| Financial Recovery | Over $300 million recovered for clients through settlements and verdicts |
| Firm Size | More than 50 attorneys and staff |
3. Awards & Recognition (2025)
Recent accolades highlighting the firm’s stature include:
- Best Lawyers in America
- Top 10 Best Labor & Employment Law Firms – Best of the Best Attorneys
- Top 10 Employment Law Firms – Attorney & Practice Magazine
- “10 Best Employment & Labor Law Firms in New York” – American Institute of Legal Counsel
Expanding Reach Through Collaboration and Education
Looking beyond the courtroom, Phillips & Associates strategically grows its impact by empowering individuals and elevating the entire field of employment law.
- The firm’s strategic growth is channeled into practical initiatives designed to expand access to information and legal support for employees everywhere.
- A cornerstone of this mission is the ongoing development of HarassmentHelp.org, a public resource being enhanced with state-specific content, practical tools, and educational guides like the 2025 Holiday Party Survival Guide.
- On a national stage, Phillips & Associates co-hosts the National Plaintiffs’ Summit on Sexual Harassment and Employment Discrimination, a premier gathering.
- This summit unites plaintiff attorneys, psychologists, and policy experts to drive the conversation forward; the next event is scheduled for February 2026 in Miami.
- Through these deliberate national collaborations, the firm shares valuable insights, addresses systemic issues, and strengthens co-counsel relationships, all while maintaining its focused presence in its core markets.
Protecting Privacy in Sensitive Matters
In employment matters where a client’s career and reputation are on the line, confidentiality is not merely a policy; it is the trust that enables effective advocacy. At Phillips & Associates, ethics, discretion, and data protection are not compliance formalities but the foundation of every client relationship. Aware that many clients seek support while still employed or within close professional circles, the firm handles every matter with care, sensitivity, and absolute discretion.
The commitment is operationalized through robust safeguards, including comprehensive insurance coverage with specific cyber liability protection and the use of secure, encrypted systems that feature limited access and regular audits. Furthermore, each case is handled by a designated legal team, a structure that ensures both accountability and privacy at every step. As Phillips succinctly puts it,“Trust is built in small decisions. We protect it carefully,” a philosophy that defines the firm’s approach to protecting its clients’ most sensitive information.
High-Pressure Sectors Under the Microscope
Based on the firm’s extensive casework, William K. Phillips anticipates that industries facing increased scrutiny will continue to be those characterized by fast-paced environments and rigid hierarchical structures, such as technology, finance, healthcare, hospitality, and entertainment. The prevalence of remote and hybrid work arrangements is also noted as a persistent and significant factor that complicates traditional workplace dynamics and oversight.
For these sectors, meaningful preparation demands far more than superficial policy updates; effective prevention must rest on realistic supervisor training, genuinely safe employee reporting channels, prompt and thorough investigations, and unwavering leadership accountability from the top down.
A Culture Built on Respect, Discipline, and Shared Purpose
Internally, the firm culture and leadership values at Phillips & Associates are intentionally shaped around respect, discipline, and purpose, influencing everything from an empathy-driven hiring philosophy to a collaborative environment where accountability, trust, and shared ambition define how teams grow and deliver impact.
To sustain this environment, the firm invests in continuous training and fosters open communication across all roles and levels. “No one is above the work,” Phillips states, crystallizing the firm’s flat and dedicated approach where he believes true leadership means setting the example, a value that guides the firm’s collective mission to advocate effectively for every client.
From Leaders, For Leaders
To emerging attorneys entering employment law,
You stand at a critical juncture. My advice, from building a firm to correct a profound structural imbalance, is direct:
Choose your mission early and stay consistent. Decide whom you serve—the institution or the individual—and let that clarity guide you.
Master your jurisdiction. Depth of expertise in your local laws is the bedrock of credible, powerful advocacy.
Treat every client with respect and clarity. You are handling their career and dignity, not just a case file. Communicate with honesty.
Build a culture that values integrity and effort. Leadership means setting an example. No task is beneath you when it serves the client.
This work is demanding, but it matters. The greatest reward is helping someone regain control of their career after harassment or discrimination.
Answer this necessary calling with purpose.
