Chester Phillips | Salinas Criminal Defense Lawyer

Mr. Phillips joined The Worthington Law Centre in 1995 after graduating from Monterey College of Law. He currently handles an active case load of misdemeanor and felony cases, both adult and juvenile, with additional work in administrative law issues stemming from criminal charges before the Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Social Services, and the California Labor Board. Mr. Phillips routinely handles cases in the courts of Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, and the Federal District Court for Northern California, San Jose.

Mr. Phillips is an integral part of the defense team at The Worthington Law Centre. In addition to handling his own case load, he works closely with Mr. Worthington on all of Mr. Worthington's major felony cases, focusing on the legal research, writing, and strategy that is essential to the successful conclusion of complex cases.

Mr. Phillips is a member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States, the California Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Monterey County Bar Association, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and the Bar of the United States District Court for Northern California. He is also a member of California Attorneys for Criminal Justice and California Public Defender's Association.

Before becoming a lawyer, Mr. Phillips had a long and distinguished career in the United States Army. He was a Commissioned Officer from 1972 to 1992 with assignments in Europe, Latin America, and the United States. He held positions of increasing responsibility over a 20 year career as a combat arms officer, with a secondary specialty as a Foreign Area Officer (Latin America). He held a Top Secret clearance throughout service. Mr. Phillips helped author a number of security plans and contingency plans used at the national level during wartime. His final assignment was as Associate Dean, Defense Language Institute, Monterey, California. At the time of his retirement, Mr. Phillips was commissioned as a Major.

During his career transition, Mr. Phillips taught elementary school in bilingual (English-Spanish) classrooms in Salinas.

Mr. Phillips holds a J.D. degree from Monterey College of Law; a Master of Arts Degree, Management from Webster University, St. Louis, MO; and a Bachelor of Science Degree, National Security and Public Affairs from U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY.

In addition to his career as a trial attorney, Mr. Phillips has served as Commissioner pro tempore in the Marina and King City courts for traffic, truancy, and small claims matters. He served as prosecutor in U.S. Magistrate's Court at Fort Ord for approximately 18 months while still in the U.S. Army. He has handled Pro bono cases in the Superior Court of Monterey County.

Mr. Phillips has lived in Monterey County for the past 14 years.