Phillip Antonio Yapp

Attorney-at-Law

Upper Chambers Law Suites Unlimited

Co-Founder & Managing Partner

Style Observer (SO): Describe Phillip Yapp in a few sentences.

Phillip Yap (PY): Well, I am Jamaica’s most fashionable male lawyer! Others say I’m amiable, ambitious, doting, encouraging, eccentric in a good way, erudite, fierce, humble, principled, resourceful, supportive and unique.

SO: And your Zodiac sign?

PY: Let’s just say this Scorpio has a sting!

SO: Do please share with us a few of your preferred fashion labels

PY: Balmain, Gucci, Luar and Telfar

SO: What are you ordering?

PY: AnOld Fashioned made with Appleton Estate 12 year old rum.

SO: Describe a typical 24 hours for you?

PY: My typical day begins with an hour-long getting dressed process prior to work. Whilst at the office I’ll spend most of my time on my computer working and also on the phone with clients, always navigating one transaction or another. The times I’m not in office I spend at the bank or in client meetings and, on occasion, I will be in court.

SO: What was your first impression of Kingston?

PY: Dubbed a country boy from Montego Bay, which I always believed to be a true city. I quickly realised that Kingston was much vaster, liberal, fast-paced and the centre of business in Jamaica. It was simply a culture shock.

SO: Are there any changes to that initial impression?

PY: No changes, but having resided and worked in Kingston, it only reaffirms my initial thoughts on just how robust and convenient the city is.

SO: Where would you take a first-time visitor to Kingston and why?

PY: I would bring them to the heart of Kingston — downtown — from whence all else exploded into what the city currently blooms. My favourite chill spots in Kingston include ROK on a Sunday, Raw Bar and Club Cubana on a weekend night.

SO: Were you appointed Mayor of Kingston what would get your immediate attention?

PY: If I were mayor of Kingston, I would seek to address certain infrastructure, and municipal planning needs to include the expansion of the road network and parking through innovation, such as multi-level parking and tunnels.

SO: What would you say is the most interesting thing you have discovered in the field of law?

PY: The most interesting thing I have discovered in law is that it consists of virtually everything in life that affects human beings. Per the former Dean of the Faculty of Law, UWI, Mona Dr Leighton Jackson: “Law is ordinary things that happen to ordinary people.”

SO: What, if anything, needs to be done to improve the legal framework in Jamaica?

PY: The practice of law in Jamaica is drastically affected by outdated manual systems and the use of technology to modernise the field could benefit it quite effectively, to put it broadly.

SO: What are three improvements in the justice system you’re highly appreciative of?

PY: Improvements I have noted and am appreciative of are, firstly, the slow yet sure modernisation of the justice system. Second, the updating of archaic laws to match the current reality of our society. Lastly, the judiciary’s commitment to dispose of matters in a just, timely and effective manner.

SO: Driving from Montego Bay to Kingston what are you listening to?

PY: I tend to listen to a mixture of pop, dancehall and soca.

SO: What current projects are you working on?

PY: Currently, with the help of my partners at the Upper Chamber Law Suites Unlimited, we are engaged in yet another expansion of our offices to accommodate additional attorneys and paralegals. The goal is to increase our efficiency output. This is our second expansion since our inception in 2021 following our Kingston office expansion in 2023 and increasing our operable space to approximately 2,000 sq ft.

SO: What are your favourite home comforts?

PY: I love to host and I am always hosting friends and or family, cooking for them either indoors or out and playing board or console games, but most of all I enjoy lounging around in my bed or sofa.

SO: Which cologne are you currently splashing?

PY: I change my scents daily. They include but are not limited to Christian Dior Sauvage, Azzaro Wanted, Bleu de Chanel, Versace Dylan Blue, YSL, CH Bad Boy Ferragamo and Prada. I’m a scent enthusiast so I am building quite the collection.

SO: What was your last bit of retail therapy?

PY: My last bit of retail therapy was at the Seattle Premium Outlets while I was on vacation about a week ago in the great state of Washington.

SO: Share with us the last TV series you watched.

PY: The last series I watched was The Gilded Age on HBO Max. It is an interesting take on New York’s society during the era of industrialisation. It causes one to contemplate what a city in your own country such as Kingston was like in its early days.

SO: Finally, what’s your personal philosophy?

PY: My personal philosophy is to remain humble whilst aiming for the stars! All else will flow.

An Old Fashioned made with Appleton Estate 12-year-old rum (Photo: Aceion Cunningham)

Rorie Bernard, bartender at the award-winning Lester’s Bar at the Half Moon Resort, presents an Old Fashioned made with Appleton 12-year-old rum. (Photo: Aceion Cunningham)

Yapp, who considers himself Jamaica’s most fashionable male lawyer, has a penchant for style and prefers labels like Balmain, Gucci, Luar and Telfar.

Chanel Bleu de Chanel Parfum is one of the fragrances in Yapp’s collection. 

Azzaro Wanted Eau de Parfum.