Faculty Profile

Phyllis Phillips’ commitment to mediation as the most effective way to resolve disputes has been longstanding. During her tenure as a workers’ compensation administrative law judge, she witnessed firsthand how unsatisfying litigation can be. At a hearing or trial, the parties often feel like passive spectators rather than active participants. Their lawyers dictate how their stories are told and the judge controls the result. Those most affected have the least say. In addition to being an alternative dispute resolution practitioner, she was a Senior Administrative Law Judge for disputed workers’ compensation and wage/hour claims at the Vermont Department of Labor from 2008-2018, Co-owner of Workers’ Risk Services from 1995-2003, and Director of Vermont Department of Labor & Industry’s Workers’ Compensation Division from 1989-1992.