Approach
Eric Phillips of VLF Consulting
Clients engaged in commercial disputes or complex valuation matters seek an expert who is already familiar with the issues facing their industry and who can get up to speed on the particulars quickly. In every engagement, I expect to provide value-added expertise from the very start, which often entails highlighting the key economic and financial issues, the guiding case law, and likely positions and themes of each side. With over 15 years experience focused on intellectual property litigation and valuation, I provide expertise spanning a range of industries, often focusing on manufactured products due to my background in mechanical engineering. With this background and experience, clients will find an enthusiastic partner who quickly grasps even the most complicated of technologies and who adds value right off the bat.
From there, I seek to be your trusted advisor throughout the fact finding (discovery) process, where I prefer to take a highly active role. Attorneys and corporate clients generally prefer this approach as well, since it ensures that the needed information is quickly identified and sought.
Whether the issues are headed for settlement discussions, mediation, arbitration, or trial, clients can be assured that the final work product will reflect a level of effort and sophistication that suits each client’s needs and can withstand any level of critique.
Background
Prior to founding VLF Consulting, I directed damages and valuation engagements for over a decade at Charles River Associates (formerly InteCap) and FTI Consulting, both international consulting firms. With a focus on intellectual property litigation and valuation, my experience includes the valuation of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and know-how in such contexts as infringement litigation, bankruptcy proceedings, licensing negotiations and transactions, and joint ventures. These engagements typically include extensive industry-specific research as well as the preparation of financial, accounting, and statistical analyses (such as lost profits, reasonable royalties, past and future price erosion, convoyed sales, delayed market entry, and prejudgment interest). These analyses have taken the form of flexible damages and valuation models, including probability trees, sensitivity analyses, and Monte Carlo analysis. I have provided valuation services in a variety of industries ranging from hand tools to financial derivatives trading systems, but with a frequent focus on manufactured products due to my background in mechanical engineering, which I practiced for several years.
Education and Affiliations
I hold a Masters in Business Administration from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Science (with Distinction) in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University. I am a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) and a Master Analyst in Financial Forensics (MAFF) through the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA), and am a member of the Licensing Executives Society (LES).
Personal
As a beer enthusiast, I have passionately home-brewed for over 25 years everything from light sours to oaked imperial stouts. An avid auto racer, I campaigned a BMW M3 with a national racing organization. I have also taught high-performance driving for several years with Porsche and Audi clubs.