John Morgan (lawyer)
John Morgan | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Bryan Morgan March 31, 1956 |
| Alma mater | University of Florida (BA, JD) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Ultima Morgan |
| Children | 4 |
John Morgan (born March 31, 1956) is an American lawyer. He is the founder of nationwide personal injury and consumer protection law firm Morgan & Morgan.[1] A personal injury attorney by training, Morgan is responsible for the firm's decades-long focus on providing people with representation against corporations. John Morgan is also a political figure, supporting the legalization of medical marijuana in the state of Florida as a chairman for United For Care.[2][3]
Early life
John Bryan Morgan was born in Lexington, Kentucky. He grew up in Lexington until 1971, when his family moved to Orlando, Florida. Morgan's childhood was marked by poverty, his father's job insecurity and his mother's alcoholism; he has described his upbringing as "pretty hellish". Morgan attended high school in Orlando and moved on to college at the University of Florida, working various jobs throughout. After becoming a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, he was later elected president of the student honor and service society Florida Blue Key.[4] In 1983, Morgan earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida College of Law. He is currently on the board of trustees for the Levin College of Law at the University of Florida.
Career
Morgan became interested in personal injury law in his second year of law school. His brother Tim became quadriplegic after an accident on the job at Disney's Polynesian Resort. Noting the lack of fair compensation offered at the outset of this accident, Morgan began to specialize in personal injury.
Founding and growth of Morgan & Morgan
In 1988, John Morgan created Morgan & Morgan in Orlando. The original office had three attorneys and a small support staff. The initial focus in the original office was personal injury law, however the available litigation types have expanded significantly, including a particular specialization in class action suits. As per his original mission statement, Morgan does not permit the firm to take on insurance companies or large corporations as clients. Under his leadership the firm grew and expanded over a ten-year period with over 300 attorneys and 1,500 support staff members located in nine states.
Legalization of marijuana
Morgan has been heavily involved in efforts to legalize medical marijuana in Florida.[5][6] He is the chairman of United for Care, an organization dedicated to the effort.
In 2014, Morgan campaigned to pass Amendment 2, and ultimately lost by a small margin.[7][8] A victory would have necessitated a 60% yes vote, however only 57.6% voted yes, and 42.4% no. Amendment 2 aimed to ensure that qualified use of medical marijuana, licensed physician prescription of medical marijuana and registered medical marijuana treatment centers would become legally permissible. Among the speculated factors in the defeat of Amendment 2 were lower advertising spend than oppositional efforts, particularly a $5.5 million donation billionaire Sheldon Adelson gave to support the Vote No on 2 campaign.
Morgan continues campaigning for the legalization of medical marijuana to this day.
Political positions and activities
Morgan stated in November 2016 that he's considering running for Governor of Florida in the 2018 election.[9]
He supports "decriminalizing marijuana, releasing convicts serving time solely for drug crimes, giving voting rights to non-violent felons, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, making water and wildlife protection a top priority, and abolishing the lieutenant governor and agriculture commissioner posts."[10]
Philanthropy and political contributions
Morgan and his wife Ultima are involved in multiple philanthropic initiatives.[11] Both have contributed $2 million donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida[12] to address hunger within Florida. Their donations led to the opening of the Morgan & Morgan, P.A. Hunger Relief Center in 2013, a 100,000 square-foot space that houses and preserves Second Harvest's annual food donations.
Morgan donated to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.[13]
Personal life
John Morgan met his wife Ultima at the University of Florida, where she also attended law school and earned her JD. The couple has been married for 32 years and has four children: Matt, Michael, Daniel and Kate. Sons Mike, Matt and Dan are also attorneys with Morgan & Morgan.
References
- ^ Adam Smith,John Morgan: the bombastic, omnipresent lawyer fueling Florida's 2014 election, tampabay.com, November 29, 2013;
- ^ John Morgan: Expect marijuana gold rush, then shakeout, orlandosentinel.com, July 12, 2015;
- ^ Joe Daraskevich,Morgan makes Jacksonville stop to support medical marijuana amendment, jacksonville.com, September 17, 2014;
- ^ UF Law Students Serving as Florida Blue Key Presidents, UF LAW Magazine, July 12, 2005;
- ^ "Florida medical marijuana amendment debate". FOX 13 News - Tampa Bay. October 13, 2014.
- ^ "Florida medical marijuana debate (Part 1)". WESH 2 News. October 22, 2014.
- ^ "Florida Right to Medical Marijuana Initiative, Amendment 2 (2014)". Ballotpedia. November 4, 2014.
- ^ "Amendment 2: Medical marijuana initiative defeated in Florida". ABC News Channel 9. November 5, 2014.
- ^ http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-morgan-democrats-florida-20161118-story.html
- ^ "Morgan says he's considering gubernatorial bid". Politico. November 17, 2016.
- ^ "Getting to know "For the People" attorney John Morgan with this week's "10 questions"". ABC ACTION NEWS. November 17, 2013.
- ^ "Building Solutions to Hunger". Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. May 31, 2012.
- ^ Chozick, Amy; Martin, Jonathan (September 3, 2016). "Where Has Hillary Clinton Been? Ask the Ultrarich". The New York Times. Retrieved September 5, 2016.