Christopher phillips

Managing Attorney

Christopher J. Phillips is a Managing Attorney at the Center for Elder Law & Justice.  In this capacity, Chris primarily manages the agency's Guardianship Unit, which serves as the court-appointed guardian for vulnerable individuals throughout Western New York.

Having volunteered at nursing homes and adult care facilities throughout his life, Chris enrolled in law school with the goal of helping older adults navigate the legal system as they age.  Chris began volunteering with CELJ during his first summer of law school, providing support to the Guardianship Unit.  During his last semester of law school, Chris participated in the Pro Bono Scholars Program, overseeing CELJ's medical legal partnership, the MedLaw Partnership of Western New York's, operations based at the Erie County Medical Center Corporation. 

After law school, Chris was awarded a post-graduate fellowship from the Borchard Center on Law and Aging to pilot CELJ's Aging with Pride project, providing civil legal services to LGBTQIA+ older adults.  Chris thereafter spent several years as a Trusts and Estates associate at a private law firm where he represented clients in complex estate planning needs, large hospital systems in guardianship matters, and fiduciaries in trust and estate administrations and controversies.

Chris is a member of the Bar Association of Erie County and acts as a liaison for the association's Elder Law and LGBTQIA+ Committees, having been elected as a Director of the bar association.  Chris also serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of the Alzheimer's Association of Western New York, and an at-large member of the Board of Niagara Pride, Inc.  He often speaks on aging and law issues at the local and national levels, and remains on the advisory committee for the Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging.  Chris is a summa cum laude graduate of Canisius University and holds his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the University at Buffalo School of Law.