Ryan Phillips, a lifelong resident of this area who has handled thousands of felony cases, is now a prosecutor for the 14th Judicial Circuit, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Phillips, 40, most recently worked at Legal Services of North Florida, Inc., as a disaster relief attorney. From 2013 until 2020, he worked at the Public Defender’s Office as an assistant public defender handling criminal cases.
“I like being in front of a judge and a jury, interacting with the clerks and staff and just being in the courtroom,” Phillips said.
Phillips was born in Chipley, graduated from Florida State University with a degree in finance, and then obtained his law degree from the University of Miami. Phillips and his wife Emily have been married for 13 years and have a son.
“The plan was never to be a criminal lawyer, but I fell in love with it,” he said.
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He enjoyed working for LSNF but wanted to be in the courtroom more often.
“There are certainly cases that involve allegations that are very troubling but, on balance, criminal law is interesting and fun,” he said. “Now I know just how miserable I would be sitting in a Miami law office drafting contracts.
“I feel like I’m older now and have the experience to avoid blind ambition and focus on fulfilling my constitutional mandate – to do justice,” he continued. “Justice is a matter of balance. The people we deal with, whether it be victims or defendants, are our neighbors.”
“Treating defendants with dignity and fairness bolsters the integrity of our justice system, and this can be maintained while striving to ensure that Bay County continues to be a safe place for our friends and family to reside.”
For additional information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.