PARTNER

 

Phil Downs is a Partner at Cholakian & Associates. Phil has a background in civil defense litigation, including federal trial experience, across various practice areas to include defense of public entities and public entity employees against both state and federal causes of action, primarily defending police officers and municipalities against allegations of civil rights violations. In addition, Phil has defended both governmental and private entities alike against discrimination claims, under both state and federal statutory frameworks; actions arising from allegations of retaliation/wrongful termination; and defense against personal injury claims from auto collisions, premises liability, and product liability. Phil enjoys the adversarial process and finds it especially rewarding to secure good outcomes for his clients. In addition to success as lead-trial counsel, Phil has also successfully written and argued summary judgment motions on issues ranging from qualified immunity for federal constitutional claims, Biven’s actions, questions of state-law government code immunities, Privette Doctrine, and so forth.

 

Phil is a husband, a father, and a former United States Marine. When he is not practicing law, Phil tends to be somewhere in the wilderness hunting.

 

Education —

Univ. Cal. Davis, Class of 2003, B.A. History

Univ. San Francisco, School of Law, Class of 2014, J.D.