Famed lawyer Robert Shapiro once called John, “the best lawyer in America.” John specializes in personal injury, wrongful death and civil rights cases. Some of his recent highlights include.
Justice for Kalil McCoy: John obtained a record setting $495+ million dollar jury verdict for the family of a murdered teenager.
Read MoreJustice for Erin Joynt: John obtained a $2.6 million dollar verdict for an injured sunbather while Good Morning America cameras filmed and aired the trial.
Read MoreJustice for Jordan Davis: John oversaw the criminal and civil prosecution of the murder of Jordan Davis, a teen killed after loud music caused a verbal altercation. It also resulted in an Emmy award winning documentary.
Read MoreJustice for the kids: John successfully represented 131 children who were the victims of "the worst dentist in America" Howard S. Schneider, got him suspended and arrested.
Read MoreJustice for Omarosa Manigault Newman: John has thus far successfully represented Omarosa and others against President Trump and his Campaign, including dismissal of claims brought against her.
Read MoreAdditionally, Phillips and his firm was recently named as lead criminal and civil litigation counsel for Joe Exotic, the star of the Netflix docuseries, “Tiger King.”
Read MoreJohn is originally from Mobile, Alabama, but made Jacksonville, Florida his home in 2001. He graduated from the University of Alabama, which is perennially one of the highest ranked public law schools in the southeast and was ranked 25th in the nation in a recent U.S. News Survey. He has obtained many million-dollar and multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements on behalf of his clients, including one 2019 jury verdict of over $495 Million dollars, as well as changed the way that companies and governments operate. He recently was selected to help re-write Georgia’s citizen arrest statute after Amaud Arberry was shot and killed. Although he has represented celebrities and athletes, John’s time is mostly quietly spent helping anyone get justice.
Even twenty years into the practice of law, John is still one of the youngest Board Certified Civil Trial lawyers in the State of Florida. This allows him to be called an expert in civil trial law (personal injury, car accidents, civil rights). Board Certification requires years of advocacy at the highest level, additional peer review, substantial trial experience, hours of advanced seminars and a difficult full day exam. John will tell you, “Nothing worthwhile comes easy.”
John can be seen in the Emmy award winning documentary, Armor of Light. He had a role in the film as the storyteller and lawyer for the family of Jordan Davis and was thanked from the stage by the film’s director Abigail Disney. He regularly seeks out opportunities to learn how to be a better lawyer, leader and father.
More about John’s awards are listed below but he is one of the most acclaimed attorneys in America. He is AV-Preeminent rated and has won many awards for both his actions in the courtroom and in the community, including being named one of the 29 most influential people in northeast Florida and the Face of Justice on the First Coast. He is licensed to practice law in Florida, New York, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Illinois and Washington DC, and before the United States Supreme Court. He does so with passion and compassion.
In 2015, John was selected to give a TEDx talk on race and equality. It was one of the first speeches that TEDx broadcast live on its YouTube channel and it stands as one of the most watched talks in the State of Florida. He has also spoken at Howard University, at the NAACP Annual Meeting, at PeaceJam in Ghana, at many high schools and colleges and regularly gives seminars to other lawyers.
John was nominated by Jacksonville’s Mayor and confirmed by the City Council to Jacksonville’s Human Rights Commission. In addition to having an audience with multiple Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, John was invited to attend the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.
The vast majority of John’s time is spent in his offices, working up cases for his clients and telling stories of people who have been injured or lost loved ones. Trial work is his passion. Good Morning America even filmed and broadcast portions of one of his trials in 2014. However, much of the work he does is unseen by cameras and done with a wonderful hand-picked staff.
John is married to his best friend, Angela, and is the father of three boys, Bennett, Weston and Johnathan. He has dived the great barrier reef, run with the bulls and loves to travel. However, he is happiest with his children in tow, attending Jacksonville Jaguar games and spending time with family and friends.
Sworn into
Alabama, Florida & Georgia Bars
Obtained Justice
for Jordan Davis
Justice for Erin
Joynt
Obtains Record
$495+ Million
Dollar Verdict
Clerked for the
Honorable
James C. Wood
Became partners in a
prestigious insurance
defense firm
TED Talk Reached
Over 250,000 Views
Justice for the
victims of "the worst
dentist in America"
Licensed in NY,
DC & TX
John’s grew up hearing stories about his grandfather and great grandfather who were lawyers in Mississippi. His mother would tell him tales of them making a difference without concern for profit… people paid what they could when they could.
With them in mind, John always sought to help others. After high school, John was named a Bedsole Scholar, attending the University of Alabama on full scholarship, where he studied political science and criminal justice.
John clerked in Washington, DC for Congressman Sonny Callahan during a summer in college, trying to learn as much as he could about government and law. He was on pace to graduate in three and a half years at Alabama, but could not start law school until the fall. So, John stayed and was selected to teach his very own section of Criminal Justice 101 at age 22. He also volunteered at an alternative school, working with kids who were born to dire circumstances.
John obtained a Juris Doctorate (Law Degree) from Alabama, the 28th ranked law school in the nation. In law school, he was Senior Editor of the Law & Psychology Law Review, involved with the Student Government Association and undertook many other activities. Again, John was on pace to finish in less than the three years usually reserved for law school. However, finishing early would not properly prepare John for the Bar exam. He used the time to get more involved and actually bartended at an establishment, Boo Radleys, named after the key character in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
After graduation from law school, John accepted a judicial clerkship in Mobile before moving to Jacksonville, Florida. He attended trials and hearings every day and coordinated the efforts of the Honorable James C. Wood (now retired).
Upon moving to Florida, John M. Phillips spent 8 years as a trial lawyer for businesses such as State Farm, Coca-Cola, Hertz, JM Family / Southeast Toyota, USF&G, Anderson Columbia, GEICO, Cambridge and a host of other large companies. He became a named member of the firm of Dore, Lanier & Phillips at age 32 and left Dore & Phillips at age 35, moving on to represent injured individuals, working at one of the largest personal injury firms in the world, Morgan & Morgan.
Feeling unfulfilled, John established his own Florida trial law office in 2011. He has won awards for his work in and out of the courtroom, regularly appears on national television as a legal expert, has achieved a multi-million dollar verdict while Good Morning America’s cameras rolled and is regularly seen volunteering and donating his time and money in our community.
2014 United States Supreme Court
And many more.
Justice isn’t always defined by the dollar.
This talk was performed live before an audience of 400, simulcast to an audience of several thousand and has been viewed over 300,000 times.
A mother's head and back were run over by a Daytona Beach patrol truck while she was sun bathing with her children and husband nearby...
John has presented a TEDx talk on equality and justice, contributed to media on well over 500 occasions, won many awards for legal...
