Phillip J. Yates is an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Texas. He is currently working at the Nelson M. Jones Law Firm where he focuses on criminal, commercial and civil litigation issues. Prior to attending law school at Texas Southern University – Thurgood Marshall School of Law, he received both his bachelor and master's degree in business administration from Stephen F. Austin State University. Phillip is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., PHA Masonic Lodge True Square #108, and a former NCAA Division-I basketball player. He's also an alum of Leadership Houston - Class XXXIII, volunteers with the Alief I.S.D. Leadership Advisory Council, mentors at Chinquapin Preparatory, and serves on the Stephen F. Austin State University General Business Advisory Board. In 2017, Phillip was named a Rising Star by the League of Women Voters in the Houston Area. Phillip is currently a consultant at the Houston Area Urban League, where he is credited with implementing the economic development and entrepreneurship program, Small Business Development University. Since 2011, this entrepreneurial program has helped over several thousand minority entrepreneurs start businesses, create jobs, grow and scale their businesses. Phillip has working experience that includes being a professional in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, as well as an entrepreneur. In 2015, Phillip participated in Commissioner Ellis’s Texas Legislative Internship Program (TLIP) during the 84th Texas Legislature, where he served as a policy advisor for Speaker Joe Straus in the Texas House of Representatives. Phillip now has the pleasure of conducting policy advocacy work at the Houston Area Urban League, a local nonprofit organization in the Greater Houston Area. Phillip takes pride in his commitment to serve others and advocate for those without a voice in his community. As a Board of Director for the LoneStar Justice Alliance, Phillip looks forward to the opportunity to work with leadership and community stakeholders in tackling criminal justice issues and overhauling the legal justice system in the State of Texas.