About Stephen L
Stephen L Phillips began his professional path at the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting in 1983 and a Juris Doctor in 1985. The combination of accounting and law would shape the arc of his career. He moved from classroom to courthouse and corporate counsel roles, carrying technical training into each position.
He started his legal work as an associate at Johnson & Gibbs in 1983. After several years in private practice he took an in-house role as tax counsel at Electronic Data Systems in 1990. That corporate stint gave him exposure to the tax issues of large-scale business operations and added a transactional dimension to his litigation experience. He returned to private practice in the mid-1990s and became a shareholder at Roan & Autrey PC in 1995.
In 2000 he joined Cantey & Hanger LLP as a partner. The move broadened his platform for handling complex tax matters for businesses and their owners. In 2007 he became a partner at Giordani, Swanger, Ripp & Phillips LLP, a role that continued his mix of counseling and dispute work. In 2017 he helped found Phillips Golden LLP and serves there as founding and senior partner as well as the firm’s chief financial officer.
Phillips is board certified in tax law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. That certification reflects a sustained practice in federal and state tax issues, including controversy work and planning for business clients. He is admitted to practice in Texas and has held State Bar of Texas membership since 1986. He also maintains memberships in the American Bar Association.
He holds memberships in federal venues that matter for tax litigation. He has been a member of the U.S. Tax Court since 2010 and of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals since 2016. He is also a member of the Federal Court for the Western District of Texas. Those credentials allow him to handle matters that move between administrative tax proceedings and federal appellate courts.
Colleagues describe Phillips as steady and methodical. He balances technical accounting knowledge against litigation strategy. At Phillips Golden LLP he combines practice management responsibilities with client work, overseeing the financial operations of the firm while handling tax disputes, planning, and advice. His current practice focuses on tax law and related federal litigation matters.
