Transcript
Howard Iken:
Good morning.
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Crystal Phillips:
Good morning.
Howard Iken:
You’re Crystal Phillips, aren’t you?
Crystal Phillips:
Yes, I am.
Howard Iken:
And what do you do at Ayo and Iken?
Crystal Phillips:
I’m an attorney at Ayo and Iken.
Howard Iken:
And what office are you mainly based out of?
Crystal Phillips:
The Hyde Park office in Tampa.
Howard Iken:
And how’s your week going so far?
Crystal Phillips:
It’s going really great, yes.
Howard Iken:
How long have you been an attorney?
Crystal Phillips:
Since 2008.
Howard Iken:
Right now, you do primarily what area of law?
Crystal Phillips:
Family law.
Howard Iken:
And do you like family law?
Crystal Phillips:
I love family law. It gives me an opportunity to help my clients to resolve their issues. And as far as custody or if they’re going through a divorce, it allows them to be able to come out of that with a positive light.
Howard Iken:
Are you good at family law?
Crystal Phillips:
I am, yes, because I have a passion for it. I want to help my clients.
Howard Iken:
What value do you feel you bring to your clients?
Crystal Phillips:
I allow them to have some control over their lives and situations. Sometimes, it’s really difficult because there are many cases we don’t have control over it. There’s somebody else that is making a decision. It could be the judge in our cases or it could be the opposing party, either the current husband or a former partner who has children with you.
Howard Iken:
Would you say you’re primarily an attorney for women for men, or you don’t carry that distinction, which one?
Crystal Phillips:
Well, I don’t carry that distinction. I don’t see a difference as far as my cases in gender, and I think that’s part of me. I want to give equal rights to everybody. I think that we all deserve the same types of rights.
Howard Iken:
Some attorneys believe this is a thankless career. Have you ever received a thank you from a client?
Crystal Phillips:
I have in many situations. Typically, whenever I close out a case, I do have some response from my clients. And I often receive thank-yous and shows of gratitude from them.
Howard Iken:
How does that make you feel?
Crystal Phillips:
It makes me feel really good because I love to help people, so it’s really good.
Howard Iken:
Some people out there think attorneys are wealthy, the money just rolls in and the job is easy because all they need to do is talk. Is there any truth to that?
Crystal Phillips:
There’s no truth to that. We put a lot of work into it, and our staff puts a lot of work into it as well. We’re focused on our clients and acheilia the best outcome that we can from our clients
Howard Iken:
At the end of a one-day or two-day trial, are you tired?
Crystal Phillips:
Yes, I’m very tired. And it feels like a relief once it is over because I’ve tried my best and I’ve been very assertive and aggressive in those cases.
Howard Iken:
What kind of effort goes into that personally? How much of your self do you need to put into trials?
Crystal Phillips:
It takes all of me. So, I may be preparing for weeks beforehand and I will work on that as much as possible, so that I’m able to achieve the outcome that my client wants.
Howard Iken:
When you have a trial, what kind of value do you think, as an attorney, you bring to that trial?
Crystal Phillips:
I bring an incredible amount of value to the trial. I am the one who’s there, who’s advocating for my clients, and I understand what the procedures are and the roles that are required in trial.
Howard Iken:
Do you think you’re a competitive person?
Crystal Phillips:
I am. I am very competitive. I think that that shows because of all the effort that I put into it, and I do have a very strong personality and I am able to be competitive with other people and other attorneys, so yes.
Howard Iken:
Does that help you in court?
Crystal Phillips:
It does. It does, absolutely. Because I never want to lose and I don’t want my clients to lose, so I put in all the effort possible to be able to succeed.
Howard Iken:
Have the chips ever been down, but you came out ahead for your client?
Crystal Phillips:
Yes, absolutely. I have had some cases which were really challenging, and my client wasn’t very hopeful in our situation. And I do recall one where I had an adoption for the grandparents and we weren’t sure if the judge was going to approve the adoption. We had to jump through several different steps. And the adoption took quite a bit of time. It was something that I didn’t realize that it would be as challenging as it was with the judge, but we were able to power through it and I was able to achieve the adoption. And at that point, the grandparents who were my clients, came back to me and said how much they appreciated and how their grandson appreciated it.
Howard Iken:
What is the most important thing you would like potential clients to know about you?
Crystal Phillips:
I want them to know that I’m there for them. I’m going to advocate for them as much as possible and help them to resolve their issues and reach a more positive life.