Stacy D. Phillips, Certified Family Law Specialist

Stacy D. Phillips, a Certified Family Law Specialist licensed by the State Bar of California's Board of Legal Specialization, has practiced family law exclusively since 1984. She is founding and managing partner of Phillips Lerner & Lauzon LLP (PLL) in Los Angeles, California.

Ms. Phillips draws on her 20-plus years of experience to dissect the issues of divorce and provide solid advice for her clients and her readers.

High-Profile Clients

Celebrity divorce lawyer Stacy Phillips has handled many high-profile clients, including Bobby Brown (ex-husband of Whitney Houston), Corina Villaraigosa (ex-wife of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa), Darcy LaPier (ex-wife of Jean-Claude Van Damme and widow of Mark Hughes), Erin Everly (ex-wife of Axl Rose of Guns 'n Roses), Darryl Strawberry, Charlie Shanian (former husband of Tori Spelling), Deborah Shelton (former Miss USA), Toni Taupin (ex-wife of Bernie Taupin), and Jonathan Kaufer (former husband of Pia Zadora). Stacy Phillips has also represented the conservators with regards to Britney Spears' family law matters.

Honors

• Super Lawyer® Advisory Board | 2010
• “Top 10 Southern California Super Lawyer®” | 2010 (Los Angeles Magazine and Super Lawyers Magazine)
• “Top 50 Female Super Lawyer® in Southern California” | 2005 – 2010 (Los Angeles Magazine and Super Lawyers Magazine)
• “Women in the Law” | 2010 (Los Angeles Times Magazine )
• “Top 100 vote-getter” | 2005 – 2010 (Los Angeles Magazine and Super Lawyers Magazine)
• “Super Lawyer®” | 2004 – 2010 (Los Angeles Magazine and Super Lawyers Magazine)
• “Women Leaders in the Law” | 2009 - 2010 (Los Angeles Times Magazine)
• “Southern California’s Best Lawyers” | 2008-2009 (Los Angeles Times Magazine)
• “Los Angeles Area’s Best Lawyers” | 2007 (Los Angeles Times’ West Magazine)
• “Top Female Litigators in California”| 2003 – 2010 (Los Angeles Daily Journal)
• “50 Most Powerful Women in Los Angeles Law” | (Los Angeles Business Journal)
• “Best of the Bar” | (Los Angeles Business Journal)
• AV-rated* under Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system

Ms. Phillips is also the recipient of numerous awards for her legal knowledge and charitable works, including being named Family Law Attorney of the Year in 2009 by The Century City Bar Association, receiving the 2009 Griffin Bell Award by the Dispute Resolution Services, the 2009 Jurisprudence Award by the Anti-Defamation League, and the 2008 Spirit of Hope Award by the Tower Cancer Research Foundation.

Television and Radio Appearances

Stacy D. Phillips has been seen and heard on many television and radio programs, such as:

She is also a regular commentator on Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, and The Insider. Not only is Stacy highly sought after in the United States, but she also appears internationally on programs such as the W Network and Movie Central (Canada Broadcasting), Cimema Tushin and Asahi TV (Japanese Broadcasting), Interaktiv (Hungary Broadcasting) and the BBC (UK Broadcasting).

Publications

California divorce lawyer Stacy Phillips has been quoted in numerous publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, People, In Touch, Cosmopolitan, Life & Style, Us Weekly, Glamour, Town & Country, Los Angeles Business Journal, California Law Business, New York Post, Entertainment Weekly, Chicago Tribune, GQ Magazine, The Arizona Republic, OK magazine, Los Angeles Family magazine, Sacramento Bee, Working Woman, Redbook, and CBS Market Watch.

She has served as a regular columnist for Yahoo! Personals, Hitched.com, Divorce Magazine, California Family Law Monthly, and serves as managing editor for her firm's bi-annual newsletter, Family Matters.

Phillips' first literary work, "Divorce: It's All About Control How to Win the Emotional, Psychological and Legal Wars, " was released in November, 2005. In 2006, her book received a certificate of commendation from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Councilman Jack Weiss and the city of Los Angeles. Her book continues to do well in most major bookstores as well as on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

Classes/Seminars Taught

Phillips has lectured to numerous professional groups, bar associations and law firms on the interplay between family law and probate. She has also lectured at UCLA, Loyola Law School, Southwestern Law School, Pepperdine University, Western University School of Law, Dartmouth College, and for programs sponsored by the Women Lawyers Association and other women's groups. Some of her prominent speaking engagements include:

• Lecturer, Mentor/Mentee Relationships and Alternatives to Big Firm Practice, Women Lawyers Association
• Speaker, "Business Development for Women Lawyers," California Women Lawyers, 1998 - 2000
• "Successful Marketing Techniques for Profitability and Results," Findlaw Business Development Conference, 2004
• Speaker, "Why These Firms Are Best in Breed," Findlaw Business Development Conference
• Panelist, "Effective Representation of Family Law Clients in Mediation," Los Angeles Bar Association, 2005
• Panelist, Child and Spousal Support, California Continuing Education (CEB) organization
• Panelist, "Divorce Hollywood Style: Avoiding Common Pitfalls," City National Bank and Trusts
• Co-Chaired, West Legal Works called "Your Future as a Rainmaker: A Marketing Boot Camp for Lawyers," 2006
• Speaker, "The Impact of the State's Financial Crisis on our Court System," Levitt and Quinn Family Law Center, 2010
• Speaker, "Tips Re: How Not to Fall into the Family Law Abyss," Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, 2010
• Speaker, "Money Matters: The Importance of Protecting Your Resources Before, During and After a Relationship," STARCARE's Fifth Annual Women of Power Luncheon, 2010
• Speaker, "California Courts in Crisis: The Impact of the Lack of Court Funding on our Judicial System and State Economy," Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) California Chapter Annual Conference, 2010

As a result of her experience as a speaker, Phillips is a much sought after source for commentary on family law, mediation, ethics and business.

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Chancery Club of Los Angeles, Member
• National Partnership of Women & Families (formerly known as the Women's Legal Defense Fund), Member
• Board of Trustees of Alternative Living for the Aging, Member
• Board of Directors, ALA, Past chair and member
• Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services, former Member, Board of Directors
• Legal Momentum (formerly NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund), Member, Board of Governors
• California Leadership Council of Legal Momentum, Former co-chair
• State Bar of California, Member
• American Bar Association, Member
• Los Angeles Bar Association, Member
• Beverly Hills Bar Association, Member
• Various political campaigns, Member of steering committees

Ms. Phillips has established the Stacy D. Phillips Endowment Scholarship Fund at The Mirman School and the Phillips Family Fund, which her family started more than 30 years ago. The Fund gives an award each year to the student at Dartmouth who writes the best paper on ethics and the business student who writes the best paper on business ethics. The Fund has provided the money necessary to teach Ethics Across the Curriculum.

She also has acted as a pro bono volunteer representing abused and neglected children. In addition, she, along with others in her firm, founded the "Adopt-A-Center" program, where for the past 11 years, the firm has selected one local charity to which they offer hands-on involvement and fundraising support for a 12-month period.

Past Legal Experience

A graduate of Dartmouth College, cum laude, with high distinction honors in a double major, Phillips earned her juris doctorate at Columbia University School of Law in 1983.

Phillips' legal career began as a federal law clerk to the Honorable Edward Rafeedie of the United States District Court. Phillips then joined Wyman, Bautzer, Rothman, Kuchel and Silbert (hereinafter, Wyman) as an associate, where her primary focus was the litigation and mediation of family law matters. In 1984, Phillips left Wyman to join Jaffe & Clemens, and in 1990, began her own firm.

In 1994, she assisted in drafting a bill to extend the statute of limitations period, allowing victims of domestic violence to sue their abusers in civil court. Having testified in support of the legislation before the Assembly Judiciary Committee, Senate Bill 924 was subsequently enacted into California law (California Civil Procedure Section 340.15).

Stacy D. Phillips, who resides in Los Angeles, is married with two children of her own, two step-children and two step-grandchildren.

Stacy D. Phillips
Phillips Lerner & Lauzon LLP
2029 Century Park East, Suite 1200
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Telephone: (310) 277-7117
E-mail Ms. Phillips

* CV, BV, and AV are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards, and policies. Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell ratings fall into two categories - legal ability and general ethical standards.