October Power Lunch Series – Sandra Phillips

Sandra Phillips (’91) is the General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer at Toyota Motor North America. In her role, Sandra is responsible for legal operations, legal technology, and managing the representation of Toyota’s affiliates in North America. Sandra has litigated and helped manage some of the most significant legal matters of the past 20 years.

Prior to joining Toyota, Ms. Phillips was a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius L.L.P. in Houston, Texas, where her practice focused on complex litigation management and strategy. While at Morgan Lewis, she was outside counsel for Toyota and played a key role in coordinating legal strategy for a high-profile litigation matter.

Ms. Phillips is a thought leader on diversity in the profession and is devoted to mentoring women and minority professionals. She is the 2008 recipient of the Defense Research Institute Diversity Pioneer Award. In March 2013 Ms. Phillips was honored by Alston & Bird as a “Woman of Distinction.” In August 2013 she was recognized by Inside Counsel, “R-3 100 The Next Generation of General Counsel.” Ms. Phillips was featured in Lovick’s Diversity Career Journal’s “Women’s Profile Issue,” Winter 2013 and Diversity Journal’s “5th Annual Women Worth Watching in 2007.” Her philosophy on mentoring was featured in Diversity & the Bar in an article entitled, “The Five Dimensions of Mentoring,” July/August 2005 edition.