Phil Guess focuses his litigation practice on complex business disputes and has particular experience representing clients in the financial services, energy and technology industries. He served on the firmwide management committee and as the managing partner of the Seattle office.
Phil is currently listed in Chambers USA as one of the top lawyers in Washington for general commercial litigation and litigated cases involving fraud, securities, contractual breaches, employee mobility issues (i.e., trade secret and noncompetes), breaches of fiduciary duty, and consumer protection violations, among other issues. He is an experienced trial attorney, having tried multiple arbitrations and cases in both state and federal courts.
Phil is particularly experienced in cases involving corporate and transactional litigation, including disputes regarding corporate transactions, securities, dissenter’s rights, valuation, and corporate governance issues. For clients engaged in energy-related industries, Phil offers particular experience with allegations surrounding supply contract breaches, employee mobility, and valuation issues.
Phil has represented financial services clients in a number of high stakes cases. For example, he represented and advised numerous clients regarding Bernard Madoff and Bernard L. Madoff Securities, LLC. Likewise, Phil represented the Trustee in In Re: Consolidated Meridian Funds, which involved a $220 million real estate scheme, the largest fraud of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. He also represented the Bayou Unofficial Creditors' Committee and Bayou Official Creditors' Committee, In re Bayou Hedge Fund Litigation, assisting institutional investors in the Bayou family of hedge funds to recover in excess of $75 million in what was, at the time, the largest Ponzi scheme in United States history.
Phil is licensed to practice in Washington, Oregon, and California courts as well as all federal Courts in those jurisdictions. He also regularly arbitrates disputes throughout the United States.
- Recognized by Chambers USA for Litigation: General Commercial in Washington, 2014-2025
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation in Seattle, 2019-2025
- Selected to Washington Super Lawyers list, 2007-2023
- Selected to Best Lawyers Commercial Litigation, 2019-2022
- Peer Review Rated AV in Martindale-Hubbell, 2021
- Selected to Washington Rising Stars list, 2004-2006
- Board Member, Seattle Aquarium
- Former Member of Executive Committee, Former Chair of Governance and Nominations Committee, Seattle Aquarium
- Former Adjunct Professor of Law, Seattle University, Securities Law
- Former Board Member, Washington Community Alliance for Self Help
- Alternative Dispute Resolution in M&A disputes, Presentation to ABA Annual Business Law Conference, 28 April 2023
- "K&L Gates Secures $10.5M Verdict for Washington Meat Retailer in Lawsuit Over 'Boneless' Chicken Product," National Law Journal, 13 December 2024
- "Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week," Law360, 13 December 2024
- "Pilgrim's Can't Butcher Meat Co.'s Trader Joe's Burger Suit," Law360, 19 October 2022
- "The growing spotlight on ESG: environment, social and governance," Portland Business Journal, 22 August 2022
- Quote, "E-Discovery May Need Help For Next Potential Wave Of Fraud," Law360, 3 May 2022
- Quote, “The Gathering Storm,” Oregon Business magazine, September 2020
