Biography

Phil is a veteran corporate attorney who specializes in complex mergers and acquisitions and handles a wide variety of business transactions. Due to the longstanding nature of his relationships with many clients, Phil is often contacted in a general outside counsel capacity to advise on material developments in the clients’ business or industries as they arise.

Phil has developed and is best known for his deep knowledge in the insurance, construction, energy, and financial services industries. His clients include investment advisors and brokers and participants in the technology, wine, hospitality, media, and gaming industries. His work has addressed every facet of business law, including acquisitions, financings, executive compensation, antitrust, governance, and nonprofit work. Phil regularly works on complex shareholder, partnership, and operating agreements and enjoys the challenge of finding common ground for the different interests of the investors and management. The depth and breadth of his experience makes him an exceptionally knowledgeable, effective advisor to his clients.

Clients value the way Phil leads the legal work for them, whether as a strategist, counselor, or negotiator. He identifies and focuses on the key points that are critical to the deal and avoids devoting time, effort, and client expense on secondary issues. He applies his expertise in a calm, clear, highly result-oriented manner, and avoids over-lawyering, fixating over boilerplate, and other unproductive distractions. Phil has represented many of his clients for 30 years or more and has been told his approach is unlike any corporate attorney they’ve ever worked with.

Thanks to Phil’s unique approach, his clients achieve their business objectives with a minimum of contention, duplicative effort, or unnecessary expense. Consistent with the remainder of Farella’s business practice, he staffs his projects leanly for greater efficiency and prides himself on responsiveness.

Phil is the former chair of Farella's Commercial Department and served on the firm’s Partnership Admission Committee. He continues to serve on the firm’s Compensation Committee. Throughout his career, he has taken pride in assisting with the career development of junior attorneys and managing toward a truly diverse workforce.

Phil is the California liaison to the Corporate Laws Committee of the American Bar Association and is a former co-chair of the Corporations Committee of the Business Law Section of the California State Bar Association. He is the former author of The California Corporation: Legal Aspects of Organization and Operation, 31-3rd C.P.S. (BNA).

Distinctions

  • Super Lawyers, Northern California, 2004-2006

Firm Highlights

Event

23rd Annual Wine Industry Conference

Farella Braun + Martel is a Presenting Partner of the  North Bay Business Journal' s 23rd Annual Wine Industry Conference. The conference will explore new trends and challenges to the wine industry in the North Bay. Farella's Richard...

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Publication

Nonprofit Basics: Best Practices for Approving Insider Compensation Decisions

Welcome to  EO Radio Show – Your Nonprofit Legal Resource . This episode is the third in a series discussing insider transactions by exempt organizations. In this episode, I'll look closely at best practices...

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Event

The Fine Print: A Litigator’s Perspective on Boilerplate Contract and Insurance Provisions

Join Carly Alameda and Amy Briggs in the discussion on "The Fine Print: A Litigator’s Perspective on Boilerplate Contract and Insurance Provisions" to the ACC Bay Area Chapter. Corporate counsel are often tasked with negotiating...

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News

Profile in Women Leadership - Mary McCutcheon

Mary McCutcheon Headshot
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Publication

I Always Feel Like AI Is Watching Me: Artificial Intelligence and Privacy

ChatGPT got the early press, and every day we learn of new generative artificial intelligence products that can create new and creative visual and text responses to human input. Following on ChatGPT’s fame, Google’s...

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News

WhatsApp and Facebook Take the NSO Group to Court

Kyle McLorg was interviewed for the  Shoot The Messenger: Espionage, Murder, & Pegasus Spyware  investigative podcast episode “WhatsApp and Facebook Take the NSO Group to Court” produced by Exile Media in collaboration with The...

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Event

The Fine Print: A Litigator’s Perspective on Boilerplate Contract and Insurance Provisions

Join Carly Alameda and Amy Briggs in the discussion on "The Fine Print: A Litigator’s Perspective on Boilerplate Contract and Insurance Provisions" to the ACC Bay Area Chapter. Corporate counsel are often tasked with negotiating...

Read More
News

Farella Advises TILT Holdings Inc. on $86.7 Million Debt Refinancing

Northern California legal powerhouse Farella Braun + Martel advised TILT Holdings Inc. , a global provider of cannabis business solutions that include inhalation technologies, cultivation, manufacturing, processing, brand development, and retail, on a series of...

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Publication

Nonprofit Basics: Conflict of Interest Policies and Best Practices for Approving Insider Compensation

Welcome to  EO Radio Show – Your Nonprofit Legal Resource . This episode is the second in a series discussing insider transactions. In episode 32, I gave a general overview of the federal laws...

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Publication

State Minimum Fire Safe Regulations Go Into Effect April 1, 2023

The State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection has been actively pursuing comprehensive new wildfire protection standards for development in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones and State Responsibility Areas where the State of...

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