Faculty Profile: P. Allen Phillips

Judge Phillips is a Jackson native.  Educated in the public schools, he then attended Lambuth College where he was an honor graduate in 1987 with a Bachelor's Degree in History.  He attended the University of Tennessee College of Law and graduated in 1990.  While in law school, Judge Phillips served on the editorial board of the Tennessee Law Review.  After being licensed in 1990, Judge Phillips entered the private practice of law in Jackson and practiced for 24 years with the law firm Waldrop & Hall where he was a partner for 19 of those years.  His practice areas were insurance defense, employment law, family law, and his specialization in workers' compensation.

Judge Phillips was active in the local Bar Association serving on the Board of Directors and chairing the West Tennessee Mock Trial Competition in 1994 and 1995.  He received the Law and Liberty Award for outstanding service to the Bar in 1995.  Judge Phillips is very active in his church and in activities involving his children.

In June 2014, Judge Phillips was sworn in as one of Tennessee's first eight workers' compensation judges under the 2013 Reform Act.  He currently presides over the Jackson regional office.  The Jackson region includes all West Tennessee counties except Shelby County and those bordering Shelby County with a total of 17 counties in the region.  Judge Phillips hears all cases in the region with dates of injury after July 1, 2014 as well as hearing cases under prior law on Requests for Assistance.  He hears settlement approvals under both old and new law.