John Benedict Phillips—known as Ben Phillips for all his life—received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis, and his Juris Doctor degree from Chapman University School of Law.
Mr. Phillips is a Certified Family Law Specialist by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization, and rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale Hubbell—the highest rating attainable for legal ability and professional ethics.
Mr. Phillips practices exclusively family law, primarily at the trial court level. He has successfully litigated complex, closely held business valuation issues, high-income support cases, and high-conflict child custody matters. He is experienced with the special privacy and public relations challenges attendant with high high-profile cases—those involving celebrities, professional athletes, and prominent entrepreneurs—and he has developed a unique approach to managing such cases.
Mr. Phillips also incorporates appellate advocacy in his practice. He was one of the PWGGC attorneys who prevailed on appeal in what became the seminal case on date of marital separation—In re Marriage of Manfer (2006) 144 Cal.App.4th 925. In 2014, he successfully defended a favorable child and spousal support order on appeal (In re Marriage of Ahkavain); and in 2016, he obtained an appellate court reversal of a trial court order terminating spousal support after a marriage of long duration (In re Marriage of Kassel).
Mr. Phillips served as the Chair of the Family Law Section of the Orange County Bar Association in 2017 and served as an elected Board Member from 2009 through 2017. He is also a member of the Robert Banyard Inn of Court and the Celtic Bar Association. Mr. Phillips has guest lectured on family law topics in law school courses and presented a number of continuing legal education (CLE) seminars for other attorneys on issues including trial procedure, child custody, support, ethics, and bifurcation of marital status.
During law school, Mr. Phillips competed in several national moot court competitions, receiving awards for both outstanding oral advocacy and exceptional brief writing.
Prior to law school, Mr. Phillips worked for several years in software and management consulting, where he assisted Fortune 500 companies, including Sony Corporation and Amgen, with the design and implementation of software applications to streamline business processes. Such consulting experience has proven invaluable in his family law practice, where Mr. Phillips regularly counsels clients who own controlling interests in businesses.
Mr. Phillips resides in Orange County with his wife and three children. Outside of the office, he coaches youth sports and enjoys an occasional round of golf.
