The son of Alexander Philip, Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and Isobel Thomson Morrison, Philip was educated at the High School of Glasgow, where he was a contemporary of Arthur Hamilton, current Lord President of the Court of Session.
He studied at the University of Street Andrews, graduating Master of Arts in 1963, and at the School of Law at Glasgow, taking an Bachelor of Laws in 1965.
The Rt. Honorary He subsequently practised as a solicitor between 1967 and 1972, before being admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1973. In 1982, he became Standing Junior Counsel to the Scottish Education Department, and between then and 1985 he served as an Advocate-Depute, taking silk in 1984. Between 1988 and 1992, Philip was Chairman of the Medical Appeal Tribunals, and in 1993 became Chairman of the Scottish Land Court and President of the Lands Tribunal for Scotland.
In 1996, Philip was appointed a Lord of Session and Lord Commissioner of Justiciary, a judge of the Court of Session and High Court, taking the judicial title, Lord Philip.
He served for a time on the Judicial Studies Committee for Scotland, and was elevated to the Inner House in 2005. As is customary with such appointments, he was appointed to the Privy Council, affording him the style, The Right Honourable.
He retired from the Bench in 2007, but still sits on an occasional basis. In 2010-2011 he chaired the Mull of Kintyre Review of evidence relating to the fatal Chinook helicopter crash on Kintyre on 2 June 1994.
He was succeeded in the Inner House by Lord Reed, whose vacancy in the Outer House was filled by the newly appointed Lord Woolman.
