Retired attorney LeRoy Phillips died Thursday.
Contributed PhotoLong-time Chattanooga defense attorney Leroy Phillips died early Thursday morning after a long battle with illness.
He was 76 years old.
Phillips, who retired from the firm of Phillips & Caputo in 2005, was a fixture in Hamilton County courtrooms for more than 40 years.
“He could be a real bulldog in the courtroom,” said attorney Mike Caputo, who partnered with Phillips for close to 20 years. “He wasn’t afraid to champion unpopular matters. He was always very interested in civil rights and social justice.”
The depiction of an aggressive attorney passionate about defending the accused was echoed by former Chattanooga Times reporter Mark Curriden. He and Phillips wrote the book “Contempt of Court,” based on the 1906 lynching of Ed Johnson on the Walnut Street Bridge.