Judge Layn R. Phillips (BS ’74, Economics; JD ’77) and Kathryn H. Phillips (JD ’86) are proud and loyal alumni of The University of Tulsa College of Law who are committed to promoting opportunity in the study of law, especially at their alma mater.
Layn Phillips was a championship tennis player and a four-year letter winner, a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity, and an outstanding student, graduating with honors from the College of Law.
Layn went on to forge an extraordinary career, serving as Assistant United States Attorney in Florida and California before being nominated by President Ronald Reagan to serve as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma at age 31, followed by his nomination as United States District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma in 1987 at age 34. Judge Phillips also sat by designation on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Denver and participated in numerous panel decisions, before eventually resigning from the bench in 1991 to join the law firm of Irell & Manella in California, where he enjoyed a distinguished and successful practice for 23 years.
Judge Phillips now serves as CEO/Mediator of Phillips ADR, a mediation and arbitration firm he founded, and Kathryn Phillips serves as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the firm.
Kathryn Phillips has also enjoyed a fulfilling career in law, clerking for a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, practicing environmental law, and working as an Assistant United States Attorney, before her current endeavor.
Layn and Kathryn Phillips have demonstrated their loyalty to The University of Tulsa by generously supporting the Michael D. Case Tennis Center, the men’s tennis team, and the TU Annual Fund for the College of Law. Layn also provided the commencement address to our graduating class of 2014.
Layn Phillips was named a TU Distinguished Alumnus in 2008 and has been inducted into the TU Athletics Hall of Fame in recognition of his outstanding accomplishments in the tennis program. Layn and Kathryn’s outstanding generosity has allowed them to be recognized as members of the TU President’s Council and the Circle Society.
To fortify their support of The University of Tulsa and to provide opportunity for the law students who follow in their footsteps, Layn and Kathryn Phillips have established an endowed scholarship at TU which will be formally recognized as The Layn and Kathryn Phillips Endowed Scholarship in Law.
