Philip Yeager
About
Partner & Chair of the Appellate Law Practice, Omnus Law
Philip Yeager is a Partner at Omnus Law and Chair of the firm’s Appellate Law Practice. With 16 years of experience, Philip represents clients and collaborates with trial counsel with high-stakes civil matters, with a focus on appellate strategy, issue preservation, persuasive briefing, and oral arguments. He has managed hundreds of civil litigation cases across the country, ranging from debt collection disputes to complex nine-figure business cases as well as trust and estate litigation involving significant financial exposure and sensitive factual dynamics.
Philip built his practice on a foundation of trial-level litigation. He has extensive experience in trial preparation and execution, including law and motion practice, summary judgment strategy, discovery, and evidentiary issues that shape the record for appeal. That practical trial background informs his appellate work and allows him to partner effectively with trial teams on the decisions that matter early, especially on record preservation, issue framing, and positioning a case for the strongest possible outcome on review.
Over the last several years, Philip has expanded his appellate practice significantly after securing multiple victories in published decisions from the California Court of Appeal, including decisions on the intestate inheritance rights of illegitimate children and the disqualification of potential estate administrators for mismanagement of estate assets, cited in Witkin, American Jurisprudence, California Jurisprudence, American Law Reports, California Civil Practice, and the Rutter Group’s California Practice Guide: Probate.
In addition to his client work, Philip serves his legal community as a Fee Arbitrator with the Santa Clara County Bar Association, and he is the Chair of its Fee Arbitration Committee. In that role, he has arbitrated attorney-client fee disputes, including matters involving multi-million-dollar amounts, giving him a distinctive perspective on client expectations, communication, and professional responsibility in high-stakes attorney-client relationships.
Experience
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Secured multiple published decisions from the California Court of Appeal, including Estate of Franco (2023) 87 Cal.App.5th 1270 and Estate of Bodmann (2025) 116 Cal.App.5th 401, both of which address significant probate and estate administration issues.
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Successfully handled high-stakes civil appeals involving trust and estate disputes, complex business litigation, and significant financial exposure.
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Recognized for appellate decisions cited in Witkin, American Jurisprudence, California Jurisprudence, American Law Reports, and the Rutter Group’s California Practice Guide: Probate.
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Brings extensive trial-level litigation experience to appellate matters, advising trial teams on issue preservation, record development, and appellate positioning.
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Serves as Chair of the Santa Clara County Bar Association Fee Arbitration Committee and acts as a Fee Arbitrator in complex, multi-million-dollar attorney-client fee disputes.
Speaking
Publications
- Subject, “Omnus Law Expands National Litigation Practice, Adding Seven Attorneys and New Practice Leadership,” Legal Reader (2024)
- Subject, “Omnus Law Expands National Litigation Practice,” Daily Journal (2024)
Awards & Recognitions
- Secured multiple published California Court of Appeal decisions, cited in leading legal treatises and practice guides
- Recognized for appellate advocacy in complex probate and civil litigation matters
Published Decisions
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Estate of Franco (2023) 87 Cal.App.5th 1270
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Estate of Bodmann (2025) 116 Cal.App.5th 401
Publications
- Subject, “Omnus Law Expands National Litigation Practice, Adding Seven Attorneys and New Practice Leadership,” Legal Reader (2024)
- Subject, “Omnus Law Expands National Litigation Practice,” Daily Journal (2024)
Admitted Jurisdictions
- California
- District of Columbia (D.C.)
- Maryland
- Virginia
- United States Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- United States District Court for the Northern District of California
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of California
- United States District Court for the Central District of California
- United States District Court for the Southern District of California
Education
- J.D., UC Davis School of Law 2009 – Trial Practice Honors Board
- B.A., Hampshire College 2004 – Peace and Conflict Studies in Modern History
Associations
- Member, State Bar of California
- Member, State Bar of Virginia
- Member, State Bar of Maryland
- Member, District of Columbia Bar
- Member, Santa Clara County Bar Association
- Chair, Fee Arbitration Committee, Santa Clara County Bar Association
- Fee Arbitrator, Santa Clara County Bar Association
Languages
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