Gregory L. Phillips
-Founding Partner-
Gregory L. Phillips is the co-founding partner of Phillips Kaiser, a law firm of Houston business attorneys, and co-founder of The Legacy Project, a project dedicated to increasing diversity in the legal field.
Born and raised in Houston with deep rural East Texas family roots, Greg set his sights on a career in business far from the small “hometown” mindset of his upbringing. He attended Southern Methodist University planning to become an investment banker. Taking a $20 bet from a fraternity brother to take the LSAT changed Greg’s course. Greg took his fraternity brother’s money as well as the LSAT. He scored high enough that one of his professors encouraged him to apply to law school.
Greg was accepted to the University of Texas School of Law but deferred his enrollment to work for IBM right after graduation. After two years in tech sales, Greg knew he wanted to remain in the business world but not in sales. He entered law school at UT and set out on what has been a successful and fulfilling career in corporate and transactional law.
Greg first met Craig Kaiser at the large Houston-based firm Bracewell, where Greg clerked after his first year of law school and began his career as an attorney.
He then moved to Compaq Computer Corporation to work for Craig and then later as Craig’s peer as an Associate General Counsel. At Compaq, Greg was able to flex his entrepreneurial skills, thriving in an environment where he had a lot of responsibility as well as freedom. Compaq is where Greg says he learned to be a business lawyer.
“Dealing with Greg Phillips is always a pleasant experience”
-Roger R.
“Warm, friendly and always a pro – Thank You, Greg”
-Roger R.
Greg went on to work for Enron right before its bankruptcy in 2001 and then stayed on as Assistant General Counsel for the Enron Bankruptcy Estate, where he managed a team in the dissolution of more than 3,000 Enron subsidiaries worldwide.
While working on the Enron estate, Greg launched his first independent firm with Craig that grew into a 26-lawyer firm across four cities.
Most recently, he and Craig co-founded Phillips Kaiser, a firm of Houston business attorneys, where they provide general counsel services, and other legal services, to small, medium, and large businesses.
While Greg has stayed in the big city, he values his country roots and what they taught him. They’ve made him the lawyer he is today. As he says, “The way I was raised, relationships matter, the way you treat people matters, integrity matters. This is the way I practice law.”
Greg’s latest legal venture is a way to replicate his own journey from humble roots to success in the business and legal field. The Legacy Project, which he co-founded with Craig in 2020, is a developmental program within Phillips Kaiser dedicated to growing diverse leaders in the legal field. When Craig approached Greg with the idea, Greg was immediately on board.
Crediting his professor who encouraged him to apply to law school as well as mentors at IBM and Bracewell, Greg says, “Because people invested in me, that allowed me to blossom and pull out talents in myself that I didn’t know I had.”
He hopes The Legacy Project will do the same for others, providing an opportunity for those who don’t have ready access to it to uncover their talents and become leaders in the field and in their communities.
EDUCATION & ACTIVITIES
- B.S., Engineering Management, Southern Methodist University.
- J.D., University of Texas School of Law.
- M. Div., Summa Cum-Laude, Amridge University.
- Adjunct Professor of Old Testament Survey and Christian Ethics courses at Southwestern Christian College – 2013 to Present.
- Advisory Board Member, BBVA Compass Bank – 2013 to 2015.
- Advisory Board Chairman, Houston Technology Center – 2009 to 2011.
- Board Member, The Houston Angel Network – 2005 to 2011.
- Board Member, The Houston East End Chamber of Commerce – 2009 to 2011.
- Board Member, St. Thomas High School, Houston, Texas – 2011 to 2014.
- Chairman of the Board and Board Member, The Regis School of the Sacred Heart, Houston, Texas – 2012 to 2015.
- Board Member, Annunciation Orthodox School, Houston, Texas – 2011 to 2015.
- Foundation Board Member, St. Agnes Academy, Houston, Texas – 2015 to Present.
