Carter Phillips

Carter Phillips is the Managing Partner of the Washington, D.C., office of Sidley Austin LLP and a member of the law firm’s Management Committee. His practice is devoted almost exclusively to appellate matters. He is widely recognized as an expert in that field, having been selected by his peers to be included in the 2007 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the specialty of appellate law and named in 2006 as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America” by the National Law Journal, which called him “the ‘go-to’ attorney for corporations seeking Supreme Court relief.”

During his career, Carter has argued 53 cases before the Supreme Court, including most recently Environmental Defense v. Duke Energy. He also has argued more than 65 cases affecting a wide range of issues and topics in other appellate courts.

Prior to joining Sidley, Carter served as a law clerk to both Judge Robert A. Sprecher of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and Chief Justice Warren E. Burger of the U.S. Supreme Court. He also served as Assistant to the Solicitor General for three years.

Carter received his B.A. (summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa) from Ohio State University, an M.A. from Northwestern University, and a J.D. (magna cum laude and Order of the Coif) from Northwestern University.