Philip Kushner

Philip S. Kushner

Fax: (216) 696-6772

Philip Kushner is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer, whose focus is commercial litigation, white-collar criminal defense and crisis management. He is often involved in high-profile matters with high-stakes and extensive media coverage.

He has been recognized as a leading lawyer in business litigation or white-collar criminal defense for many years by numerous publications, including Ohio Super Lawyers, Inside Business, Best Lawyers in America, and Chambers U.S.A., which has referred to his "stellar reputation" and “deep experience in criminal defense matters and crisis management issues, with notable strengths in financial fraud claims” as well as his “wealth of expertise in criminal litigation, leveraging his extensive prior prosecutorial experience.” Best Lawyers named him 2022 Criminal Defense - White Collar "Lawyer of the Year" in Cleveland.

Phil was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, where he represented the United States in numerous criminal trials and appeals. He was also an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, focusing on prosecuting civil fraud claims under the False Claims Act.

Before joining the Department of Justice, he worked at Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C., where he practiced complex commercial litigation, often involving fraud on the financial markets. Before founding Kushner & Hamed, he was a partner at Messerman & Messerman, where he litigated and tried complex civil and white-collar criminal matters.

Phil is a past President of the William K. Thomas Inn of Court, a member of the White Collar Crime Committee of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and a Life Member of the Eighth District Judicial Conference. He has taught at Case Western Reserve School of Law, served on the Judicial Selection Committee of the Cleveland Bar Association, and is a former trustee and officer of the Yale Club of Cleveland.