Lawyers

Zach Phillipps is an experienced trial and appellate attorney who represents clients in a wide variety of civil litigation in both state and federal court. As chair of the firm’s Appellate Practice Group, Zach represents clients before the Connecticut Supreme Court, the Connecticut Appellate Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He handles all aspects of appellate litigation, from pre-appeal motions and strategy through briefing and oral argument on appeal. He has briefed and argued appeals on a wide variety of legal issues, including the constitutionality of Connecticut statutes, the proper application of federal abstention doctrines, and issues in personal injury matters. In addition, Zach works with non-party organizations and individuals to prepare and file amicus curiae briefs in appeals that involve issues of public importance.

Zach also represents property owners, developers, and other parties in land use appeals to the Connecticut Superior Court from decisions by local planning and zoning commissions, zoning boards of appeals, and inland wetlands agencies. In this area, he assists clients with appealing denials of land use applications, with defending against appeals by others from successful applications, and with appealing other inappropriate land use decisions.

Zach also dedicates a portion of his practice to protecting his clients’ individual rights and civil liberties, including the right to free speech and the right to be free from excessive force by law enforcement. Zach has experience defending his clients’ First Amendment rights against meritless defamation claims, litigating free speech issues under Connecticut’s anti-SLAPP statute, and representing amici curiae in favor of free speech rights before the Connecticut Supreme Court. He has also successfully represented individuals who have been injured or killed by police misconduct and excessive force.

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 Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and the New England First Amendment Coalition. He also regularly writes about civil rights and civil liberties issues, including articles on First Amendment rights, Connecticut’s anti-SLAPP law, and police misconduct.

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 included in the Rising Stars list every year since 2020 by Connecticut Super Lawyers (a distinction awarded to no more than 2.5% of lawyers in Connecticut). 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 previously served as an editor for the Appellate Practice Journal of the American Bar Association’s Litigation Section.

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, and it has been cited in numerous other publications.

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.