Michael Phillips is a founding shareholder with Hagwood and Tipton. He serves on the Board of Directors as the Secretary. Michael oversees staff in both the Jackson, Mississippi, and Charlotte, North Carolina, offices.

A significant portion of Michael’s cases involves the defense of physicians, nurses, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other health care providers. He handles all phases of the litigation process – with a particular emphasis on trial – and has defended claims against nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, and North Carolina. Michael also has extensive experience in the areas of complex defense litigation involving premises security/liability, insurance coverage, and general insurance defense.

Michael holds the AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, its highest rating for ethical standards and legal ability. He is a graduate of Louisville High School in Louisville, Mississippi. While in law school, Michael was the recipient of the Mississippi College Alumni Scholarship. After law school, he served as a judicial law clerk for The Honorable William L. Waller Jr. of the Mississippi Supreme Court.

Michael and his wife, Laura, have two sons, Cole and Reese, and spend a majority of their time attending soccer, football, baseball and/or basketball games. Michael and his family also enjoy spending time outdoors, hunting and riding four-wheelers.

Education

  • J.D.,  magna cum laude, Mississippi College School of Law, 2000
  • B.S., Psychology, Mississippi College, 1996

Bar and Court Admissions

  • Alabama Supreme Court
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Alabama
  • Arkansas Supreme Court
  • Choctaw Tribal Court
  • Georgia Supreme Court
  • Mississippi Supreme Court
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Mississippi
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Mississippi
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Mississippi
  • North Carolina Supreme Court
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina
  • South Carolina Supreme Court
  • Tennessee Supreme Court
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Tennessee
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee
  • Texas Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
  • Virginia Supreme Court

Honors and Awards

  • Mississippi College, Alumni Scholarship Recipient, 1999
  • Martindale Hubbell, AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating, 2010
  • Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association, Summary Judgment by Phillips and Carroll, 2014
  • Accredited EHR Defense Counsel Program, Graduate, 2018 Professional & Community

Affiliations

  • Alabama State Bar
  • American Bar Association
  • American Medical Directors Association – Associate Member
  • Arkansas Bar Association
  • Capitol Bar Association
  • George State Bar Association
  • Hinds County Bar Association
  • Memphis Bar Association
  • Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association
  • Mississippi Health Care Association
  • Mississippi State Bar Association
  • North Carolina Assisted Living Association
  • North Carolina Association of Healthcare Risk Managers
  • North Carolina Defense Lawyers Association
  • North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association
  • North Carolina State Bar Association
  • South Carolina State Bar Association
  • Tennessee Health Care Association
  • Tennessee State Bar Association
  • Texas State Bar

Trial Results

  • John Walter Riggins, Administrator of the Estate of Nellie Donithan Riggins vs. SSC Yanceyville Operating Company, LLC, et al
    • Cause No. 1:16-CV-1213; In the District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
    • Prevailed on summary judgment – September 13, 2018
  • Stacie Murray v. James Gray d/b/a Gray Trucking and Kevin Parker
    • Civil Action No. 15-CV-279-SC-C; In the Circuit Court of Scott County, Mississippi
    • Received defense verdict – June 8, 2018
  • Lyndon F. McCall, Personal Representative of the Estate of Yvonne J. McCall, deceased vs. SSC Montgomery South Haven Operating Company, LLC
    • Cause No. 2:14-CV-588-MEF; In Re Arbitration, Montgomery, AL
    • Received defense verdict – February 15, 2018
  • Donald Patton v. J&K Logging, L.L.C.
    • Cause No. 16-60836; In the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
    • Prevailed on summary judgment – July 13, 2017
  • Rosalyn Gardiner, as the Personal Representative of the Estate of Lillie Bell Hopson vs. SSC Birmingham Operating Company LLC, et al
    • Cause No. CV-2008-901737; In the Circuit Court of Jefferson County, Alabama
    • Received defense verdict in ADR matter – December 11, 2016
  • Webster vs. National Heritage Realty, Inc.
    • Cause No. 507-cv-101-DCB-JMR; In the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
    • Received unanimous jury verdict in favor of Defendant, National Heritage Realty, Inc. – March 6, 2009

 Publications and Speaking Engagements

  • A Review of Significant Trends in TLC for 2016, Speaker, Litigation Risk and Defense Strategies for Long Term Care & Assisted Living Providers, Insurers, Brokers Conference, New York, New York, April 1, 2016
  •  New York Firm Attorneys Collaborate on State Profile for LTC Risk Legal Forum, Article, 2016 LTC Risk Management Conference
  • Defending Pressure Ulcer Cases in the Long Term Care Setting, Invited Speaker; Defending the Non-Traditional, Everything but the Kitchen Sink, Nursing Home Case, Co-Speaker, Smith & Nephew and PDQWC Advisory Board, Dallas, Texas, May 12, 2016
  • Writing for the Record: Litigation and Liability, Webinar, Great Valley Publishing Company Inc., September 20, 2017