“Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.”


–Yogi Berra

Phyllis Phillips

Phyllis Phillips, Esq.

APPROVED MEDIATOR, RETIRED JUDGE

My commitment to mediation as the most effective way to resolve disputes has been longstanding. During my tenure as a workers’ compensation administrative law judge, I witnessed firsthand how unsatisfying litigation can be. At a hearing or trial, the parties often feel like passive spectators rather than active participants. Their lawyers dictate how their stories are told and the judge controls the result. Those most affected have the least say.

Mediation is different. There, the parties have input into the process and complete control over the result. Mediation is empowering - it allows the parties to voice their concerns, explore their options and find common ground.

As an experienced workers’ compensation and civil liability mediator, my role is to facilitate settlement by helping the parties identify and communicate what matters most to each of them, so that they can navigate their own path to successful dispute resolution.

Education

  • Graduate of the University of Vermont (magna cum laude, 1978) and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (magna cum laude, 1983).
  • Completed advanced training at Pepperdine University Law School’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution (2019).
  • Inducted as a Fellow of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, which honors attorneys who represent the highest professional qualifications, expertise, and ethical standards in the practice of workers’ compensation law (2017).
  • Diplomate Member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, an invitation-only association of dispute resolution professionals recognized for excellence in their mediation practice (2020).

Experience

  • Alternative dispute resolution practitioner specializing in workers’ compensation, personal injury, property rights, sexual harassment, and other civil liability claims, 2018-present.
  • Title IX Sexual Harassment Contract Hearing Officer for Vermont State Colleges and University of Vermont, 2021-present.
  • Senior Administrative Law Judge for disputed workers’ compensation and wage/hour claims at the Vermont Department of Labor, 2008-2018.
  • Workers’ compensation consultant for employers, adjusters, medical and vocational rehabilitation providers, and various state agencies and departments, 2003-2008.
  • Co-owner of Workers’ Risk Services, a Vermont-based workers’ compensation insurance company with annual premium volumes of $10-$15 million, 1995-2003.
  • Director of Vermont Department of Labor & Industry’s Workers’ Compensation Division, 1989-1992.

Personal & Community

  • Native of Marblehead, MA, the birthplace of the American Navy.
  • Member of Vermont Department of Health’s Uniform Pain Management System Advisory Council, 2015-2020.
  • Kids’ Chance of Vermont, Board of Directors (2014-present).
  • United Way of Northwest Vermont, Board of Directors (2004-2010), Campaign Chair (2005), Pomeroy Leadership Circle (2004-present).
  • Proud citizen of Red Sox Nation (1967-forever).