PHILIP L. HARRIS (PHIL), Partner Publications · Professional Activities Chicago Office Office: (312) 923-2675 Fax: (312) 923-2775 Email: pharris@jenner.com  Add to Outlook Contacts

Philip L. Harris is a partner in the Firm's Litigation Department.  He is a Co-Chair of Products Liability and Mass Tort Defense Practice and a member of the Class Action and Environmental Litigation Practices.  He is also a member of the Firm's Management Committee and Co-Chair of the Diversity Committee.  Mr. Harris is AV Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell’s highest peer recognition for ethical standards and legal ability.

Mr. Harris focuses his practice on the defense of substantial and complex product liability, mass tort and commercial cases for large corporate entities.  He serves as national and regional trial counsel for General Motors Corporation in a variety of product liability and commercial disputes.  Mr. Harris has defended successfully jury cases involving multi-million dollar compensatory and punitive damages claims in Illinois, Michigan and Tennessee.  In August 2005, he successfully argued an appeal to the Tennessee Court of Appeals in a case involving the measure of damages for loss of earning capacity and lost profits where the plaintiff is a sole proprietor.  In January 2005, he obtained a complete defense verdict from a jury in Chicago, Illinois in a case arising out of a non-collision fire.  Plaintiff, who received burns over fifty percent of his body, alleged defects in the fuel management system and sought damages in excess of $10 million.  In November 2003, he successfully defended Saturn Corporation on a punitive damages claim arising out of the company’s use of public roadways to conduct vehicle evaluations.  Mr. Harris also has successfully defended multi-million dollar jury cases involving failure to warn claims and accidents arising out of the use of company owned vehicles.

In addition to his jury trial experience, Mr. Harris has served as national, regional and generic defense counsel for companies facing repetitive exposure issues.  In that capacity, Mr. Harris has developed generic strategies for trial and motion practice; identified, retained and supervised local counsel throughout the United States; and developed strategies for lowering defense costs and settlement or indemnity dollars.  He has developed and implemented effective strategies for lowering average settlement costs even as defense costs were reduced.  Mr. Harris has extensive experience in early resolution and case management techniques.

For two years, Mr. Harris has served as a panelist at the Minority Corporate Counsel Association's CLE Expo, where he has discussed strategies for lowering litigation costs and recommended practices for avoiding litigation.

Mr. Harris is a member of the American, Illinois State, Chicago, and Iowa Bar Associations.  He was elected to the American Law Institute in December 1996.  He is a member of the Defense Research Institute and appears regularly as a speaker at its educational seminars.  He has given presentations and presented papers on topics including the effective defense of punitive damages claims in tort and insurance litigation, and on the risks associated with the failure to defend or indemnify an insured entity.

Mr. Harris has been active in numerous civic organizations throughout his professional career.  Currently, he serves on the Board of the Nature Conservancy, Alaska Chapter and on the Board of the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms.  He serves on the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee for Northwestern University and the Chicago Zoological Society Board of Trustees.  Mr. Harris is also the Chair of the Board of Trustees Student Affairs Committee for Northwestern University.  In addition, Mr. Harris served as Vice-Chairman of the Leadership Council of the Chicago Public Education Fund from 2005 to 2006.  In November 2004, he represented the food industry in a mock appellate argument for the Chicago Humanities Festival addressing the issues of obesity and public health.  He is a Fellow of The Aspen Institute’s Henry Crown Leadership Program and a Fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago.

Mr. Harris received his B.A. in political science from Northwestern University in 1980 and his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1983.