M. Tae Phillips

Shareholder || Birmingham

Tae focuses his practice on assisting clients with the many labor and employment challenges they face on a daily basis. He has been recognized by his peers through his inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, receiving an “AV Preeminent” rating by Martindale-Hubbell, and being selected as a “Rising Star” by Alabama and Mid-South Super Lawyers and the Birmingham Business Journal.

Aside from producing positive results, Tae maintains a client-centric approach to his practice and strives to provide exceptional and responsive client service. His primary goal in representing clients is to provide them with collaborative, efficient, and business-focused solutions to workplace disputes and issues.

Tae is a national subject-matter expert on workplace marijuana and drug testing issues. He is the shareholder-author of the firm’s OD Comply: Marijuana subscription tool and materials, and regularly assists clients across the country in handling the rapidly-evolving landscape of medical and recreational marijuana legalization laws and their impact on employers. In addition to providing practical advice and counsel, Tae has also handled high-profile litigation involving these difficult issues.

Aside from his expertise in dealing with marijuana and the workplace, a significant portion of Tae’s practice consists of employment litigation, and he regularly defends clients before federal and state courts and administrative agencies involving all types of employment claims. He also assists employers in traditional labor matters such as union avoidance, election campaigns, collective bargaining, and labor arbitrations. He also advises clients on disputes involving non-compete, trade secret, and other restrictive covenant agreements.

Tae is an active member of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), and is proud to serve as co-chair of Ogletree’s Diversity and Affinity Group for Asian and South Asian American attorneys and employees within the firm. He also serves as an Alternate Regional Governor for the Southeast Region of NAPABA and an officer within the Alabama Asian Pacific American Bar Association. Tae is also a frequent speaker to groups across the country on a variety of labor and employment topics.

Prior to joining Ogletree, Tae practiced general civil litigation in Mobile, Alabama. He graduated cum laude from the University of Montevallo in 2006, and from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2009 where he served on the Alabama Law Review. Outside of work, Tae is a husband and father to three young children. He enjoys the Chicago Cubs, University of Alabama athletics, running, and traveling.

Learn more about M. Tae Phillips

Tae represents employers in federal and state courts across the country, before the arbitration administrators such as the American Arbitration Association, and before traditional labor arbitrators. His litigation experience includes representing clients in matters arising under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act. He also has significant experience representing clients in Alabama state law retaliatory discharge cases.

In addition to formal litigation, Tae represents clients before administrative agencies, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board, and the Alabama Department of Labor.

Highlights from the past few years of Tae’s practice include:

Sample of Reported Cases

Education

Admittance to Practice

Professional Activities

  • National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (Southeast Region Alternate Regional Governor; Member of Inaugural Leadership Advancement Program Class; Labor and Employment Committee; Asian American Adoptee Network; Young Lawyers Network)
  • American Bar Association (Labor and Employment Section Young Lawyers Division Fellow – Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee; Young Lawyers Division – Labor and Employment Committee Chair)
  • Alabama Asian Pacific American Bar Association (Vice President)
  • Alabama State Bar Association (Federal Court Practice Section; Labor and Employment Section; Young Lawyers Section)
  • Birmingham Bar Association (Federal Practice Section; Young Lawyers Section; Future Leaders Forum Committee)
  • Mobile Bar Association (Young Lawyers Section – Executive Committee)
  • University of Montevallo (Junior Board Member)
  • Hands On Birmingham (Junior Board Member)
  • Legal Leaders of Greater Birmingham – Muscular Dystrophy Association (2013)

Speeches


Best Lawyers Award Badge

Legal Technology Core Competencies Certification Coalition

Insights by M. Tae Phillips