Lawyers

Zachary Phillipps is an experienced trial and appellate attorney who represents clients in a wide variety of civil litigation in both state and federal court. His practice includes representing people who have been injured through the fault of someone else, including those injured in car crashes or by defective premises. He also represents clients involved in business disputes and commercial litigation, including breach of contract claims, business ownership disputes, employment disputes, and claims under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act. Zach has significant experience with insurance litigation, including disputes over insurance coverage, bad faith and unfair insurance practices matters against insurance companies and brokers, and actions against insurance brokers for their failure to procure correct or adequate insurance coverage.

In addition to trial work, Zach is well-versed in appellate litigation and is one of the firm’s lead appellate advocates. He has represented clients before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the Supreme Court of Connecticut, the Appellate Court of Connecticut, and the Workers’ Compensation Review Board. He has argued or briefed appeals on a wide variety of legal issues, including the interpretation and constitutionality of a Connecticut property tax statute, the ability of district courts to abstain from exercising federal jurisdiction over state law claims, and the right to due process in workers’ compensation proceedings. Since 2020 he has served as the Chair of the Appellate Section of the Fairfield County Bar Association, where he works with other appellate attorneys to conduct legal seminars on appellate law and practice. He is also active in the Appellate Advocacy Section of the Connecticut Bar Association and has served as an editor for the Appellate Practice Journal of the American Bar Association’s Litigation Section.

Zach also dedicates a portion of his practice to representing individuals whose civil rights and civil liberties have been violated. He has represented individuals who have been injured or killed by police misconduct and excessive force, and he has defended his clients’ First Amendment rights in civil litigation. His experience includes litigating claims under the federal constitution, the Connecticut constitution and anti-SLAPP law, and other state and federal civil rights statutes. Notably, Zach’s commitment to defending civil rights and civil liberties extends beyond the courtroom. He has served on the board of directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut since 2020, and he is a member of the First Amendment Coalition and the New England First Amendment Coalition. He also regularly writes about civil rights and civil liberties issues, including a recent article on Connecticut’s new cause of action for police misconduct (available to read here).

Zach’s excellence in and out of the courtroom has been recognized by the legal community. In 2020, the Connecticut Law Tribune recognized Zach as a “New Leader in the Law,” an award reserved for select young attorneys who have excelled in and out of the courtroom. Zach has also been recognized as a Rising Star every year since 2020 by Connecticut Super Lawyers (a distinction awarded to no more than 2.5% of lawyers in Connecticut).

Before joining the firm, Zach attended the University of Connecticut School of Law, where he earned his J.D., with honors, in 2015. While in law school, Zach served on the Connecticut Law Review and published two law review notes on First Amendment issues. He also earned his law school’s Tax Law Certificate and was selected as a finalist in the American Bar Association’s 14th Annual Law Student Tax Challenge. He earned awards for academic excellence in Employment Discrimination Law, Administrative Law, and the Right to Privacy, as well as the 2015 Thomson Reuters Award for Excellence in the Study of Administrative Law. His First Amendment scholarship was twice honored by the J. Reuben Clark Law Society and the International Center for Law and Religion Studies.

Zach is admitted to practice in Connecticut, the U.S. District Courts for the District of Connecticut and Southern District of New York, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States. He is an active member of the Connecticut Bar Association, the Fairfield County Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association.