Press Release 06.08.26
Tony Phillips is a first-chair litigator for clients facing consequential disputes involving technology, government action and major investments. He leads business litigation and arbitrations where payments, projects or a company’s ability to operate are at stake.
Tony brings more than two decades of litigation experience to complex trials and appeals. He prevailed on all claims in a $26 million engineering, procurement and construction arbitration for a private equity client and recovered all legal fees. He argued for all appellees before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which affirmed dismissal on the merits of a federal takings claim challenging a Baltimore redevelopment project. His current work includes disputes involving project delays and force majeure, electronic payment fraud, technology regulation and government tax measures.
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Tony draws on experience in the courtroom, government and the technology industry. As a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section, he investigated and prosecuted public corruption, including a three-week jury trial in Puerto Rico. As a director and associate general counsel at Meta, he led a legal team working with engineers and product teams on risks affecting the company’s global platforms. He also led corporate ethics and compliance at MD Anderson Cancer Center and served as a U.S. Air Force JAG officer in England, Mississippi and Iraq.
Tony has handled matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), False Claims Act, Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute. His work also includes director and officer liability disputes.
Tony helps clients identify the issues most likely to decide a case and choose when to press or resolve a dispute. At trial and on appeal, he is adept at advocating strategically to the decision maker and adapting his arguments as the case develops.
Representative Experience
- Prevailed on all claims and recovered all legal fees for a private equity client in a $26 million engineering, procurement and construction arbitration.
- Argued for all appellees before the Fourth Circuit in a challenge to a Baltimore redevelopment project. The court affirmed dismissal of the federal takings claim on the merits and directed dismissal of the remaining state claim without prejudice, leaving no claims pending against the developer appellees in federal court.
- Represents a joint venture in a development dispute with a quasi-governmental agency involving delay damages and force majeure.
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- Represents a health care client in a multimillion-dollar dispute over electronic funds transfer fraud and diverted payments.
- Represents a Fortune 10 technology company in litigation challenging Maryland’s digital advertising tax.
- Advises a global social media platform on state regulatory requirements and their operational implications.
- Represented a Guantanamo detainee, obtaining relief in district court and arguing the case before the D.C. Circuit.
Professional Highlights
- Named to 2021 National Black Lawyers “Top 100.”
- Named to 2020 Lawdragon “500 Leading Lawyers.”
- Named to 2019 Lawyers of Color “Nation’s Best” list.
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- Awarded National Eagle Scout Association’s “NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout” award in October 2021.
- Awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal for leading major crimes investigations in Iraq while deployed to Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
- Publications
- “Will Generative AI Create a Break in the Impenetrable Wall That Is Section 230?” JD Supra, June 19, 2023 (with Jaria Martin). Author.
- “Effective Investigations: The Whole Is Greater than the Sum of Its Parts,” Compliance & Ethics Professional (CEP) Magazine, May 1, 2019 (with David Searle). Author.
- “Knowing the Unknown: Avoiding the Threat of FCPA Successor Liability,” Westlaw Journal on White Collar Crime, September 4, 2015 (with Bill Lawler). Author.
Education
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J.D., Harvard Law School, 2004
B.A., Michigan State University, James Madison College, 1999
High Honors; Phi Beta Kappa
Admissions
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District of Columbia
New York
Texas
Languages
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Spanish