Carter Phillips

Lawyer information

Practice Areas

CARTER G. PHILLIPS is one of the most experienced Supreme Court and appellate lawyers in the country. Since joining Sidley, Carter has argued 79 cases before the Supreme Court, more than any other lawyer in private practice. Prior to joining Sidley, Carter served as an Assistant to the Solicitor General and in that position he argued nine cases before the Supreme Court on behalf of the United States Government. He thus currently has a total of 88 oral arguments before the Supreme Court and more than 145 arguments before the United States Courts of Appeals. He has argued in every Circuit and has argued 40 cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He also has been a co-director of Northwestern University School of Law’s Supreme Court Clinic and an Adjunct Professor at the Law School for more than 15 years. At the outset of his career, Carter clerked for Judge Robert Sprecher on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and for Chief Justice Warren E. Burger on the United States Supreme Court.

Carter’s advocacy on behalf of clients has earned him acknowledgement in numerous publications. An academic study of Supreme Court briefs from 1946 to 2013 found Carter to be one of the most successful lawyers to argue in front of the Supreme Court. The analysis, “Who Wins in the Supreme Court? An Examination of Attorney and Law Firm Influence,” led the author to conclude that “not only is Phillips a seasoned Supreme Court litigator, but he is also one of the most successful Supreme Court brief-writers.”