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).