Stacy D. Phillips

Biography

Stacy Phillips is a nationally recognized family law practitioner, handling primarily high-net-worth and high-profile divorce cases. She has guided clients through critical transitions in their lives for nearly 40 years with experience in every facet of family law, including:

  • Complex divorce actions
  • High-conflict custody cases
  • Domestic violence cases
  • Same-sex divorce/dissolution matters
  • Paternity cases
  • Pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements

Stacy is known for her skilled persuasion, adept negotiation, aggressive advocacy, and compassion in representing her clients, whether in litigation, mediation, or Collaborative Divorce. She is a Certified Family Law Specialist by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.

Stacy is Band 1 ranked by Chambers High Net Worth, which states that a client says that she “is at the top of the list of excellent family law attorneys” and another notes she “has the capability of analyzing the situation, and instead of just litigating, she achieves good results for her clients through negotiation.” She is consistently selected to “Top 10 Southern California Super Lawyers” and “LA’s 500 Most Influential People” by the Los Angeles Business Journal. In 2020, she was named to the “Lawdragon 500 Hall of Fame.”

In addition to publishing her book, Divorce: It’s All About Control – How to Win the Emotional, Psychological, and Legal Wars (ExecuProv Press), Stacy has been a contributing writer, editorial consultant, and commentator for legal and consumer publications, including:

  • Blank Rome’s Love Bytes blog
  • Exes and Ohs with Stacy D. Phillips, Esq. podcast on JAM.IA
  • Up Close and Personal with Stacy D. Phillips and Ask Stacy on LinkedIn
  • California Family Law Monthly
  • Divorce Magazine
  • The Huffington Post: Divorce
  • Los Angeles Daily Journal
  • Los Angeles Business Journal
  • C-Suite Quarterly Magazine

Stacy is a sought-after commentator on matrimonial issues in the news, having appeared on numerous local and national radio and television shows including:

  • NBC The Today Show
  • ABC News 20/20
  • ABC Good Morning America
  • CBS News Sunday Morning
  • BBC News
  • CNN Headline News
  • Fox Business News
  • MSNBC The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell
  • MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show
  • VH1 All Access – Celebrity Breakups
  • HLN Issues with Jane Velez Mitchell
  • Access Hollywood
  • E! Entertainment News
  • Dr. Drew Show

A comprehensive summary of Stacy’s information, activities, and community involvement is available in a printable PDF format that you can download here.

Outside the Firm

Stacy is the proud mother of two adult children and an enthusiastic supporter of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Recognitions

  • 2023, "Champion of Mentorship," listed in Los Angeles Business Journal
  • 2022–2023, “Top 100 Lawyers,” listed in Los Angeles Business Journal
  • 2022–2023, “Top Family Lawyer,” listed in Daily Journal
  • 2022–2023, Band 1 for Los Angeles, Family/Matrimonial, listed in Chambers High Net Worth
  • 2020–2021, Band 2 for Los Angeles, Family/Matrimonial, listed in Chambers High Net Worth
  • 2020, “Lawdragon 500 Hall of Fame,” listed in Lawdragon
  • 2020, “Lawdragon 500 Leading Family Lawyers,” listed in Lawdragon
  • 2018–Present, “Most Influential Woman Attorney,” listed in Los Angeles Business Journal
  • 2016–Present, “Los Angeles 500 Most Influential People,” listed in Los Angeles Business Journal
  • 2010–2011, 2013–Present, “Top 10 Southern California Super Lawyers,” listed in Super Lawyers
  • 2006–Present, “Top 100 Southern California Lawyers,” listed in Super Lawyers
  • 2006–2013, 2018–2020, “Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America,” listed in Lawdragon
  • 2005–Present, “Top 50 Women Southern California Lawyers,” listed in Super Lawyers
  • 2004–Present, “Southern California Super Lawyer” in Family Law, listed in Super Lawyer
  • 2003–Present, “Top Women Lawyers (formerly Top Women Litigators),” listed in Los Angeles Daily Journal
  • 1991–Present, AV®-Preeminent™, listed by Martindale-Hubbell®
  • 2018–2019, Band 4 for Los Angeles, Family/Matrimonial, listed in Chambers High Net Worth
  • 2018, “Woman of the Year,” by the Los Angeles County Commission for Women
  • 2012, “Women Leaders in the Law,” listed in The Recorder
  • 2007, “Best of the Bar,” listed in Los Angeles Business Journal
  • 2003–Present, Family Law, listed in Best Lawyers®
  • 1998, “50 Most Powerful Women in Los Angeles Law,” listed in Los Angeles Business Journal
  • 1998, “Top 20 Lawyers in Los Angeles Under the Age of 40,” listed in Los Angeles Daily Journal

Affiliations

Memberships

  • American Bar Association
  • Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
  • Beverly Hills Bar Association
  • International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
  • Los Angeles County Bar Association
Professional Activities

Stacy has achieved significant professional accomplishments throughout her career, both in and outside of the firm, including:

  • Author, Divorce: It’s All About Control – How to Win the Emotional, Psychological, and Legal Wars (ExecuProv Press) Seventh printing in 2016.
  • Blank Rome Adopt-A-Center Program—Stacy founded (in 1999) and serves as the Advisory Board Chair of this initiative, which annually recognizes and supports a different local non-profit organization that benefits under-served and at-risk children and families in Los Angeles.
  • California’s Senate Bill 924—Stacy assisted in drafting legislation extending the limitations period for victims of domestic violence to sue their abusers in civil court and testified in support of the bill before the State Assembly Judiciary Committee.
  • Volunteer Mediator for the Los Angeles Superior Court—Since 2012, Stacy has served on a court-appointed team, mediating complex cases for the Family Law Court.

Stacy has also been active in professional groups and community causes throughout her career, and has taken leadership roles in numerous organizations, including:

  • The Trusteeship, the Southern California Chapter of the International Women’s Forum
  • Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services – Board of Directors, 1999–2004
  • Affordable Living for the Aging – Board of Trustees, 1997–2013, Board of Directors, 1991–1997, President, 2016
  • Legal Momentum – Board of Directors, 2002–2012
  • Women Presidents Organization, Los Angeles Chapter
  • Super Lawyers Advisory Board, 2010–present
  • Public Counsel – Board of Directors, 2018–present

In 1990, Stacy co-founded The Phillips Samuels Victor Fund for the Dartmouth College Ethics Institute.

Credentials

Admissions

  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • California
  • U.S. District Court - Central District of California

Education

  • Dartmouth College, BA, cum laude
  • Columbia University School of Law, JD