John Michael Phillips
Civil Rights, Family Law, Insurance, Mass Tort, Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury (Litigation)
Jacksonville, Florida
Personal Introduction
Board Certified in Civil Trial Law (Florida Bar, 2013), licensed in eight states plus the U.S. Supreme Court, and a national legal commentator on Court TV — my practice is built on relentless preparation and plaintiff-side judgment. Referrals welcome on catastrophic injury, civil rights, criminal defense, and complex matters where the trial outcome actually matters.
Practice Composition
Litigation
Education
Practice Summary
Trial firm focused on catastrophic injury, wrongful death, civil rights, and criminal defense. John personally handles the firm's criminal defense docket and tries cases nationwide. Notable representations include Joe Exotic's music rights dispute and the Omarosa Manigault-Newman arbitration against Donald Trump's lawyers, which resulted in a $1.4 million attorneys'-fee award. The firm secured a $495 million wrongful death verdict — among the largest in Northeast Florida. Plaintiffs' referrals accepted across all eight bar jurisdictions (FL, NY, GA, AL, TX, OK, IL, DC) plus the U.S. Supreme Court.
Response Time
2 days
Personal Interests & Charitable Work
Outside the courtroom: Board member of the Justice Coalition; mentor with the J.L. Bedsole Scholars Program; former Human Rights Commissioner for the City of Jacksonville (2016–2017); former Vice Chairman of the Spina Bifida Association of Jacksonville. Speaking history includes a TEDx Talk on race and equality, Howard University, the NAACP Annual Meeting, and PeaceJam in Ghana; invited to attend the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Featured in the Emmy-winning documentary 'Armor of Light' and Netflix's 'Tiger King' (Season 2) as Joe Exotic's counsel.
What is Overture?
Overture is an attorney-to-attorney referral network. Vetted attorneys refer matters they can’t take on to trusted colleagues and earn fee splits when they do, expanding what every attorney can offer their clients.