Instructor Biography

Teresa Phillips is a Florida native and attorney whose practice focuses on probate and trust administration, probate and trust litigation, guardianship, and general commercial disputes.  She has spent her entire legal career representing businesses, governmental agencies, fiduciaries, insurers, and even a local sports team in various litigation matters.  She also has the distinction of being one of the few attorneys in the Orlando area who routinely represents clients in both probate/trust administration and probate/trust litigation, giving her a unique perspective in this field.

Teresa’s probate and trust experience is vast and ranges from handling modest, uncontested estates to highly complex, multimillion dollar estates and trusts involving offshore assets.  No matter the value or complexity of the assets involved, Teresa handles each probate and trust matter with the same diligence and personal attention, carefully navigating her clients through the administration process.  In those instances when litigation is unavoidable in estate and trust matters, Teresa applies her same strategy of preparing diligently and keeping the client fully aware of their options throughout the process.  While these matters oftentimes settle through the negotiation or mediation process, preparing zealously for trial and demonstrating a willingness to see a matter through to trial, typically fosters the best chances for a successful out of court resolution.

Because of her unique background in both fiduciary administration and litigation areas, she frequently lectures on a variety of probate and trust topics, throughout the State of Florida.  Teresa is admitted in all Florida State Courts and the Northern and Middle Districts of Florida (Federal Courts).  She graduated cum laude from Florida State University College of Law in 2001.  She is also proud of the pro bono work she does with the Legal Aid Society wherein she serves as guardian ad litem in dependency cases.  In her spare time, Teresa enjoys kickboxing, yoga, reading and traveling.