James H. Phillips

My name is James H. Phillips, and I am in the private practice of law, with my law office located in the Stephens office building in Little Rock, the capital of Arkansas.  I am ready to serve you.

A graduate from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1977, I was admitted to the Arkansas Bar that same year.  My first job out of University of Arkansas School of Law was clerking at the Arkansas Supreme Court for the Honorable Carlton Harris.  Being a law clerk allowed me to have a deeper understanding of the many complex issues I had learned in a technical sense in Law School.  For the next three years I worked for the Pulaski County Public Defender’s Office, representing people charged with a crime by the state of Arkansas.  During my tenure with the Pulaski County Public Defender’s Office, I participated in hundreds of trials, including multiple- defendant jury trials, bench trials and appeals before the Arkansas Supreme Court.  In August, 1981, I began the private practice of law.  Since that time, I have represented people in a wide array of legal situations.  I have continued practicing criminal law in federal and state courts, have developed an expertise in family law, personal injury litigation, and probate law.  I have continued representing people and families in juvenile court, both when children get in trouble with the law, and when families are accused of misconduct by the Arkansas Department of Human Services.  

My practice is in the Stephens Building in Little Rock, Arkansas.  I have support staff, meaning your telephone call will be answered by someone, and if I am unavailable, your call will be returned accordingly.  If your legal problem is more complex, I have at my disposal, other lawyers with whom I associate, as well as an investigator who has decades of experience.  My legal expertise results from other life lessons outside of my legal experience.  I have been married over 40 years, have two adult children, as well as three grandchildren.  Many of these personal experiences have helped me connect and become more familiar with my clients and their personal family journeys.  

I come from a military family.  I proudly served my country as a member of the Arkansas Army National Guard, having been commissioned in the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant, specifically trained in field artillery and the Signal Corps.  I have been an active member of Christ the King Catholic Church since 1979.