Clay was born in Washington D.C. and raised in Maryland and Connecticut. He lives in Huntington Beach, CA with his wife, and three children.


For further information regarding our team of neutrals, call Meghan Lettington at 949-760-5280, or email MLettington@phillipsadr.com
Area of expertise:
Clay has been a part of Judge Phillips’ ADR practice since 2011, first at Irell & Manella LLP and then at Phillips ADR since its founding in 2014. He graduated cum laude from Pepperdine University with a B.A. in History in 2006 and earned his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 2011. He is admitted to the State Bars of New York and California.
Clay’s experience as a mediator dates to his final year in law school, during which he mediated small claims in the Bronx County Civil Court. With over 15 years of experience with Judge Phillips, his mediations now regularly include the world’s largest and most sophisticated companies.
Clay has mediated and co-mediated hundreds of actions involving a wide range of complex practice areas including antitrust, class action, multi-district litigation, intellectual property, environmental, mass tort, insurance coverage, derivative, securities, subprime lending, corporate governance, consumer protection, professional liability and contract disputes. In addition to his own practice, Clay assists Judge Phillips and other PADRE neutrals in their ADR efforts before, during and after in-person sessions, and works directly with mediation parties to help them resolve their cases. He has also served as the primary assistant to Judge Phillips on several of appointments as an arbitrator and as a special master, and has personally been appointed by a federal court to serve as the mediator in two antitrust MDLs.
Clay brings to each mediation an in-depth understanding of the legal issues of the matter at hand, achieved through careful preparation and personal contact with the parties. During his time with Phillips ADR, he has gained the trust of the top litigators in the country, and received high praise from counsel and clients alike for his insights and commitment to the needs of mediation participants. Clay understands that each dispute presents unique issues and challenges to be overcome, and approaches mediation with a flexible and strategic mindset.
Clay was born in Washington D.C. and raised in Maryland and Connecticut. He lives in Huntington Beach, CA with his wife, and three children.

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