Philip Guess

Practice Areas

Phil Guess focuses his litigation practice on complex business disputes and has particular experience representing clients in the technology, energy, and financial services industries. He has served on the firmwide management committee and as the managing partner of the Seattle office.

Phil is currently listed in Chambers USA as one of the top lawyers in Washington for General Commercial Litigation and has represented clients in courts throughout the United States in cases involving contractual breaches, usurpation of trade secrets, tortious interference, and class action allegations, among other issues.

For clients’ technology disputes, Phil provides particular experience in contractual disputes regarding the ownership or disposition of intellectual property as well as disputes representing business against consumers. For clients engaged in energy-related industries, Phil offers particular experience with allegations surrounding supply contact breaches, breaches of non-compete and/or trade secret disputes, as well as federal preemption issues.

Phil has represented financial services clients in a number of high stakes cases. For example, he represented and advised numerous clients regarding Bernard Madoff and Bernard L. Madoff Securities, LLC. Likewise, Phil represented the Trustee in In Re: Consolidated Meridian Funds, which involved a $220 million real estate scheme, the largest fraud of its kind in the Pacific Northwest.

Phil also represented the Bayou Unofficial Creditors' Committee and Bayou Official Creditors' Committee, In re Bayou Hedge Fund Litigation, assisting institutional investors in the Bayou family of hedge funds to recover in excess of $75 million in what was, at the time, the largest Ponzi Scheme in United States history. Phil is also an experienced securities litigator, handling cases alleging securities fraud and dissenters’ rights cases in state and federal court. Finally, Phil has represented companies, fund managers and institutional investors in matters involving or disputes with the Securities & Exchange Commission, Securities Investor Protection Corporation, and Washington State Department of Financial Institutions.

Professional Memberships

Board Member, Seattle Aquarium

Former Member of Executive Committee, Former Chair of Governance and Nominations Committee, Seattle Aquarium

Former Adjunct Professor of Law, Seattle University, Securities Law

Former Board Member, Washington Community Alliance for Self Help

Education