[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 11, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H2622]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF JULIAN L. McPHILLIPS, JR., OF 
                          MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA

  (Mrs. Sewell of Alabama was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Ms. SEWELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the extraordinary life and 
legacy of Julian L. McPhillips, Jr., the people's lawyer of Alabama, 
who passed away on April 12, 2025, at the age of 78.
  Julian was a compassionate lawyer, a devoted family man, an obedient 
man of God, a dedicated servant leader in Montgomery, Alabama, and a 
dear mentor who was instrumental in my personal and professional 
development.
  Julian was born in Birmingham and raised in Cullman, Alabama. He was 
a gifted athlete and a graduate of Sewanee Military Academy. He became 
an All-American wrestler at Princeton and graduated cum laude in 1968 
with a degree in history. He earned his law degree from Columbia 
University Law School in 1971 and began his legal career on Wall 
Street.
  Julian returned to Alabama in 1975 and launched his own Montgomery-
based law firm in 1978, which became known as McPhillips Shinbaum, LLP.
  As a lawyer in Alabama for over five decades, Julian gave a voice to 
the voiceless, representing the marginalized and disenfranchised. He 
took a bold stand against discrimination of all kinds and was a 
champion for civil rights, labor rights, and social justice.

  Among his many victories, Julian successfully challenged laws 
targeting low-income Alabamians and civil rights activists, and he 
secured acquittals in all five death penalty cases he undertook.
  His fearless advocacy for the marginalized earned him the moniker of 
``The People's Lawyer.'' He was a brilliant lawyer, fierce advocate, 
and a generous investor in people and just causes.
  Julian's heart was his family: His beloved wife, Leslie; his three 
children, Rachel, Grace, and David; and his seven grandchildren; as 
well as his surviving siblings, his two sisters, Sandra and Elizabeth, 
and his brother, Frank.
  On a personal note, my life's journey was paved by many mentors but 
none more influential than the special relationship I shared with 
Julian McPhillips.
  It was a phone call by Julian when I was a senior at Selma High 
School inviting me to his home to learn about Princeton that set my 
life on a different course.
  Julian had read a newspaper article about my winning national debate 
tournaments and got in touch with me through my school guidance 
counselor. Julian's love for Princeton was infectious, and his 
insistence that I apply was relentless. He wrote me a glowing 
recommendation letter, telling the admission officers that with a 
Princeton education I would certainly be the Barbara Jordan of Alabama.
  There were countless times throughout my life's journey that Julian 
stood in the gap making sure that I didn't fall through the cracks. It 
was Julian that gave me a summer job before college at his law offices 
so I could save money for school. While my parents could not afford to 
visit Princeton, it was Julian and Leslie that came to campus for 
athletic and alumni events and always took me and my roommates out to 
lunch or dinner.
  When I graduated from Harvard Law School, it was Julian who suggested 
that I apply to work at his old New York law firm, Davis, Polk & 
Wardwell, and made the call. When I moved back to Alabama 7 years 
later, after my father's massive stroke, it was Julian who suggested 
that I give his brother, Frank, a call to learn about his Birmingham 
law firm, Maynard Cooper & Gail.
  When I decided to run for Congress, yes, it was the McPhillips 
brothers, Julian and Frank, that gave me my first checks.
  When Julian believed in something or someone, he was relentless. 
Julian's faith in me was unwavering, and his kindness knew no bounds. 
His belief was so powerful that he made me believe in me too.
  When his prediction came true, it was Julian and Leslie that stood 
with my parents as I placed my hand on our family Bible to be sworn in 
as Alabama's first Black Congresswoman.
  There are times in a person's life that change the trajectory of 
one's life. Some may call it serendipity, but I call it divine 
intervention.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Leslie and the entire McPhillips family for 
sharing Julian with me and my family. I thank Julian for being one of 
the angels in my life. I am so proud to call him a lifelong mentor and 
friend, and I am forever grateful for the profound impact that Julian 
had on my life.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Alabama's Seventh Congressional District, I 
ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the extraordinary life and 
legacy of ``The People's Lawyer,'' Julian L. McPhillips, Jr. May his 
legacy live on in the many lives that he touched and may my dear friend 
rest in power and peace.

                          ____________________