Hilary Ann Phillips CD, QC (born February 26, 1951) is a Jamaican attorney-at-law and magistrate. She has served as a judge of the Court of Appeal since 2009.

Early life and education

Phillips was born in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...

on February 26, 1951, to father Rowland Phillips and mother Enid Daphne Phillips (née Limonius). She attended the St Andrew High School and is a graduate of the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...

, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Studies. She also attended the College of Law of England and Wales where she qualified as a

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

Judicial career

Phillips was called to the Bar on August 8, 1974. She was appointed

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

in April 1998. She is a member of the Bar Association of Jamaica, and served as its first female president from 2001 to 2004. Phillips worked at the

Norman Manley Law School The Norman Manley Law School is a law school in Jamaica. Building and location The Norman Manley Law School is located on the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies, yet it is a distinct and separate institution. Its building, design ...

as a tutor in civil procedure since 1994. She has been a member of the General Legal Council since 1984, as well as a member of its disciplinary committee. She served as vice-president of the Organisation of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations from 2003-2006. Phillips was a senior partner at the law firm Grant, Stuart, Phillips and Company. On July 20, 2009, she was sworn in as a Judge of the

Court of Appeal A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

by Governor General

Sir Patrick Allen Sir Patrick Linton Allen (born 7 February 1951) is a Jamaican statesman and former Seventh-day Adventist pastor, who has served as the 6th and current governor-general of Jamaica since 26 February 2009. The fourth of five children in a fami ...

. She has also served as the acting President of the Court of Appeal.

Honors and awards

Phillips was awarded the

Order of Distinction The Order of Distinction is a national order in the Jamaican honours system. It is the sixth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament (''The National Honours and Awards Act'') i ...

, Commander class for services to the legal profession and to the judiciary in 2013.

Personal life

Phillips is the daughter of the late Sir Rowland Phillips, Chief Justice of Jamaica (1963–1968).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Hillary Ann 1951 births Living people People from Kingston, Jamaica University of the West Indies alumni