Pennsylvania Department Counsel
Philip Van Zile, ’75,
	Defines ‘Community’ as ‘Commonwealth’

BY PATRICIA MAJHER

IMAGINE WALKING DOWN THE HALL OF YOUR LAW SCHOOL AND SEEING YOUR FOREBEARER MEMORIALIZED ON A BRONZE PLAQUE. That was the situation in which Philip T. Van Zile III found himself when he entered the Detroit College of Law in 1972. “My great-grandfather, the first Philip T. Van Zile, was the second dean of the law school and served in that position and as a member of the faculty for a lengthy period. From what I understand, he made quite an impact there.”

Philip T. Van Zile III

Grandson Philip III left his imprint at MSU-DCL, too; he was part of the generation that revived the school’s dormant Law Review—serving as its managing editor—and he continued to promote research and writing in his role as an MSU-DCL teaching fellow.

After clerking for Judge Vincent Brennan on the Michigan Court of Appeals and Justice Blair Moody, Jr. of the Michigan Supreme Court, Van Zile received a job offer that was too good to pass up: working with the District of Columbia Corporation Counsel’s Office. He was first employed in the office’s appellate division, briefing and arguing cases before the D.C. and U.S. Courts of Appeals. Then he worked as a prosecutor with the criminal division and finally joined the civil division as a litigator handling general civil cases and later specializing in governmental contract bid protests and disputes.

“The thing I was most drawn to was contract work,” Van Zile explained—not surprisingly, given his love of language.

In 1987, Van Zile learned of an opportunity with a law firm in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and resettled in Harrisburg. When he was in his third year of private practice, a colleague approached him about working for the Commonwealth.

Van Zile hired into the Governor’s Office of General Counsel in late 1990. “The Commonwealth really built a position around me,” he explained, “bringing me into the Department of Environmental Resources to serve as general counsel to the state park system, as well as to develop a concentration in government contract review and litigation.”

When Governor Tom Ridge came into office in 1995, he created a new department dedicated to protecting and further developing Pennsylvania natural resources. “My legal responsibilities then became more diverse,” said Van Zile, “involving recreational operations in state parks, forest conservation and associated timber management issues in state forests, building construction in the parks and forests, and extensive grant programs throughout Pennsylvania.”

Van Zile is deeply committed to his work and to the people with whom he works. “I’ve got great clients who share the same strong values I support.” The feelings are obviously mutual: earlier this year, Van Zile won the department’s Performance Excellence Award.

Perhaps what Van Zile likes best about his job is the aspect of contributing to the public good. “It’s absolutely essential for me to give back to the community.” In his case, “community” means the whole state.