Susan has been one of Louisville’s leading litigators and an active member of the local bar for over three decades. She has tried over 50 jury trials and has only been disappointed in one verdict in her career. She has been inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers (becoming the first woman in Kentucky to receive the honor) and is the past Kentucky state chair of the organization. She has an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale Hubbell and has been selected as one of the Best Lawyers in America and a Super Lawyer in Kentucky. Susan is currently serving as President of the Louisville Bar Association.
Her legal career has always involved civil defense litigation, and Susan primarily concentrates in the defense of medical negligence cases representing hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare professionals. She also defends municipalities and handles employment cases, most prominently defending sexual harassment claims.
Susan graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1981. While a student at U.K., she was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award for Litigation, was a member of the Kentucky Law Journal, and a member of Moot Court Board. Following graduation from law school, Susan joined the firm of Boehl Stopher & Graves, where she practiced from 1981-1999, becoming a partner in 1986. In 1999, she and four other partners founded Phillips Parker Orberson & Arnett, PLC (formerly Phillips Parker Orberson & Moore, PLC).
Susan has long been a member of the Louisville Bar Association, serving on its Executive Committee for several years and its Board of Directors; she formerly chaired the Litigation Section and Public Service Committee. She is a past President of the Louisville Bar Foundation and a past President of Citizens for Better Judges. She serves as a Trial Commissioner for the Kentucky Bar Association, is a former Commissioner on the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, and was a member of the Evidence Rules Review Commission. She is also a Master in the Louis D. Brandeis Inn of Court and a member of the American Bar Association, Kentucky Defense Counsel (past member of the Board of Directors), and Defense Research Institute.
In her free time (which is not much), Susan loves spending time with her family. She has been married to John Phillips since 1980 and they have two children. (Yes, they really do like working together and no, they don’t always talk about the law at home.) She loves to cook, read, and travel. Susan has been an active volunteer in the community, serving in the past on the Baptist Hospital East Institutional Review Board, the Board of Directors of the Junior League of Louisville, and the fundraising board of the Center for Women and Families; she is also active in her parish, Holy Trinity Catholic Church.
Legal Honors & Awards :
– American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
– AV Preeminent Rating – Martindale Hubbell
– Kentucky Super Lawyers®
– The Best Lawyers in America®
– 2023 Lawyer of the Year in Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
– The Best Lawyers In America ® – Lawyer of the Year 2024 – Medical Malpractice – Defendants in Louisville
– Louisville Bar Association, Past President
– Louisville Bar Foundation, Past President
– Citizens for Better Judges, Past President
