Michael R Phillips

• Antitrust

• Appellate

• Commercial Litigation

• Energy & Environmental Litigation

• Mass Tort & Class Action Litigation Defense

• NORM Defense

• Toxic Tort Litigation

• Wetlands, Land Loss & Erosion Claims

In his prime as a litigator and trial advocate and the current Chair of the firm’s Energy and Environmental Litigation practice group, Mike Phillips brings proven skill to resolving all kinds of high-stakes litigation through trial and on appeal. His experience includes state and federal court single and multi-plaintiff claims, class actions, and multi-district litigations, usually for the energy sector but also for myriad other industries that drive the region’s economy. Mike has successfully represented clients in lawsuits valued into the billions of dollars in dispute. Among his clients are Fortune 500 companies, privately held businesses, and individuals as plaintiffs and defendants alike across the region.

Mike’s litigation and trial practice is diverse. He litigates, tries cases, and appeals lawsuits involving a wide array of disputes, ranging from environmental contamination and wetlands controversy, toxic tort personal injury claims, oil and gas exploration and production disputes, legacy litigation, and toxic tort personal injury cases to antitrust, intellectual property, commercial litigation, construction, products liability, and all other types of general business claims. In fact, Mike’s successes, in and out of court and as manifest in select cases, have resulted in numerous legal precedents relied upon by courts today.

As part of his diverse practice, Mike navigates clients through the tertiary challenges and issues impacting litigation, including media and governmental relations and crisis communications.  He is known for designing litigation strategies and case management protocols that conserve client resources and expedite resolution. His practical and forward-looking approach to highly tactical and effective posturing when interacting with the opposition has led major clients to consistently choose him again and again as their preferred counsel.

In addition to traditional litigation, Mike advocates for clients in state regulatory proceedings. He has a strong understanding of laws and regulations impacting his clients’ bottom line and maintains robust relationships with regulatory agencies. His extensive experience in defending energy companies gives him an advantage in understanding opposing counsel tactics.

Because of Mike’s longevity of practice and successful representation of clients at all phases of dispute resolution, he is fearless in discussing client paths to the right outcome and in expressing his personal opinion on the direction he believes will optimize and expedite their result. As you would expect, Mike anticipates legal issues early on to best position his clients for trial, appeal, and favorable settlement.

• Member, Jefferson Parish Bar Association

• Member, Louisiana State Bar Association

• Member, American Bar Association

• Representation of a client in claims of theft of trade secrets, breach of contract, and violation of federal computer hacking statutes in Texas.

• Representation of clients in a variety of state and federal antitrust matters dealing with alleged conspiracies, tying, monopolization, and price discounting, including seminars to major retail sales department on Robinson-Patman Act Compliance.

• Representation of a client as a plaintiff in a commercial dispute dealing with the purchase of a business, including the successful trial of the matter in Oregon Federal Court.

• Representation of major air carrier in defense of class action.

• Representation of major international oil and gas companies in defense of suits alleging environmental contamination and personal injuries from historic exploration and production activities with damages sought by a plaintiff in a single case that exceeded $5 billion.

• Representation of a client in the defense of a breach of contract and business loss claim in Texas.

• Representation of a client in claims for toxic exposure, property damage, and nuisance relating to fracking operations in Ohio.

• Representation of a global oil and gas company in class action and mass joinder litigation involving personal injury and property damage claims allegedly resulting from exposure to Naturally Occurring Radioactive Waste.

• Representation of chemical and petroleum industry clients in “global warming” cases where the plaintiffs alleged that damages from Hurricane Katrina were the result of the defendants’ contribution to global warming.

• Representation of a major international oil and gas company as the plaintiff in a trial seeking the recovery of damages due to the defective construction of an offshore platform.

• Representation of a major international oil and gas refinery in a multi-week trial of a claim for alleged environmental damage to wetlands.

• Representation of clients in the defense of multiple suits alleging damage to oyster beds by oil and gas exploration, including defenses of individual suits, as well as defeating attempts by the plaintiffs to certify a class action.

• Representation of a major waste disposal company in Mississippi in a mass toxic tort exposure case involving over 2,000 plaintiffs, who alleged illness resulting from exposure to dioxins and other contaminants from the client’s waste treatment and disposal facilities; the plaintiffs ultimately ceased prosecution of the claims against the waste disposal company.

• Representation of a product manufacturer and distributer in breach of contract claims in Texas.

• Representation of water heater industry clients in the defense of civil lawsuits and related Attorney Generals investigations in multiple states relating to product failure, as well as trial counsel against the supplier of defective component part; this representation concluded in a multi-month trial.

• Representation of a gasoline refiner against civil and criminal antitrust violations and below cost sales; following a trial on the issue of relevant market and the scope of the below cost sales definition for manufacturers, the court found in favor of our client.

• Representation of a gasoline distribution company in petroleum dealer termination cases in multiple states.

• Representation of a commercial client as a plaintiff in a major construction litigation involving damage by a public entity that resulted in a multi-million dollar recovery by the client after a multi-week jury trial.

• Representation of an industrial client against a property owner’s claims of trespass from the client’s use of underground injection wells.

• Representation of a client in response to a state agency investigation and private landowner demand related to environmental discharges in Montana and North Dakota.

• Representation of a chemical manufacturer in a civil case against a party who altered and sold herbicide; our representation included cooperation with United States Attorney, who prosecuted the individual for violations of Federal Criminal laws.

Elite New Orleans Energy Ranking

Legal 500

2026