John M Phillips
Encyclopedia
John Michael Phillips is an American lawyer, sports agent, advisor, lecturer and radio show host. He gained notoriety for handling personal injury cases, including taking on municipalities despite sovereign immunity. He also was very vocal in the recent NFL Lock-out Advocating for Player’s Rights and for the NFLPA to do more to protect Players from rogue sports agents.
He received a BA from the University of Alabama in Political Science and Criminal Justice in 1997. From there, he attended the University of Alabama School of Law, receiving a JD in 2000. He subsequently was licensed to practice law in Florida, Georgia and Alabama and has received licenses as a sports agent in many other states.
Phillips currently resides in Jacksonville, Florida and is expecting his first child on his birthday in February.
After over 8 years with his firm, he left that position and joined what is believed to be the largest personal injury firm in the world, Morgan & Morgan, and represented victims of traumatic incidents, where he secured large settlements and verdicts for clients.
In 2011, John founded his own law office and made his practice a much more general practice.
A tourist from Kansas, Erin and her family drove over 20 hours to spend some time on Daytona's famous beach. http://www.kansas.com/2011/08/14/1973013/wichita-woman-recovering-after.html Erin was sunbathing when a truck performed what has been described as an improper U-turn and ran over her head and torso. She suffered hearing loss, sight impairment, facial fractures, broken ribs and a host of other injuries.
Mrs. Joynt's 8-year-old and 5-year-old were coming out of the water when it happened. Her 8-year-old daughter saw the incident and turned the smaller one around. She was mature enough to know she didn't want him to see this, which she discussed on NBC's Today Show with Matt Laurer.
The Joynt family and Mr. Phillips appeared on NBC's Today Show on September 22, 2011. It made international news.
Erin's incident wasn't the first by Volusia County Beach Patrol. On May 13, 2011, a lifeguard ran over college student's arm and hand while making a U-turn on the beach.
The Ohio tourist suffered minor injuries. She wasn't the first, either. Carole Dalton sunbathed in a beach chair near the lifeguard tower on June 9, 2010 when a lifeguard performed a U-turn and ran over her in her beach chair, where she became stuck for a period of time.
She suffered a compound fracture to her right leg because her beach chair and her leg were trapped in the undercarriage of the truck.
Dalton was out of work and her injuries included fractured shinbone that required surgery.
According to the lifeguard, it was "due to the blind spot" on his 2010 Ford pickup, he couldn't see Dalton. This was the same type truck used in the two subsequent incidents and Volusia County. Mrs. Joynt was the most traumatically injured. The vehicles still patrol Volusia beaches, despite plans to remove them that have existed for some time. Since 2007, more than 50 people have been struck or killed in beach-driving accidents. .
At least five of these incidents involved a Beach Patrol officer or lifeguard. None were fatal. Volusia has paid $135,000 in settlement costs to some of the victims.
John is suing Volusia County. When the County released statements about Erin being "fine" and down playing the incident, Mr. Phillips spoke before the County Council. He told County representatives to get ready for a lawsuit and that more needed to be done to protect people.
The County indicated cameras have been installed in the trucks
Ishika Lay was a few fights away from realizing her dream of making the women's U.S. Olympic boxing team. It is the first time women's boxing has been an Olympic sport since 1904. . Boxing was the only Olympic sport that didn't have a women's counterpart.
At Purdue University, Lay excelled at track and field. In 2002, a motorcycle accident in Jacksonville left her in a wheelchair for seven months, told she may never walk again. She fought both and earned praise as a wide receiver on a women's football team in Jacksonville. She then took up boxing.
On October 4, 2011 at the Police Athletic League Boxing Championship, the 32-year-old boxer from Jacksonville, Fla., collapsed. Ms. Lay was rushed to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, where she was in critical condition for many weeks. . Ms. Lay's opponent was three to four feet outside of striking range when Ishika collapsed.
Ms. Lay's trainer said Ms. Lay was in a sparring match and took several blows to the head and face ten days prior. Ms. Lay had complained of severe headaches since.
He has appeared on NBC’s the Today Show and regularly appears on other National Media outlets as a legal correspondent and athlete advocate.
In 2009, and again in 2010, John was named a “Rising Star” under age 35 and “Super Lawyer.”
He was also awarded the highest rating of 10 a lawyer can receive by Avvo.
Martindale, a company rating lawyers since the 1800’s awarded John a rating of AV-Preeminent, the highest offered. Finally, John was awarded the title of “Best Lawyer in Jacksonville” by the Folio Weekly and its readers in 2011.
John has also been profiled by various magazines and newspapers for the change he has tried to bring and has spoken on a variety of legal and social issues across the country.
Biography
Phillips was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama..He received a BA from the University of Alabama in Political Science and Criminal Justice in 1997. From there, he attended the University of Alabama School of Law, receiving a JD in 2000. He subsequently was licensed to practice law in Florida, Georgia and Alabama and has received licenses as a sports agent in many other states.
Phillips currently resides in Jacksonville, Florida and is expecting his first child on his birthday in February.
Career
John started his career as a civil litigation attorney, specializing in defending cases involving serious personal injury. He worked his way up, becoming a named partner of his firm, Dore, Lanier & Phillips at age 32. He worked hand-in-hand with some of the largest insurance companies in the world exposing corruption and misrepresentation by medical professionals and defending many types of legal proceedings.After over 8 years with his firm, he left that position and joined what is believed to be the largest personal injury firm in the world, Morgan & Morgan, and represented victims of traumatic incidents, where he secured large settlements and verdicts for clients.
In 2011, John founded his own law office and made his practice a much more general practice.
Erin Joynt Case
John Phillips was hired by the Joynt family in 2011, days after Erin Joynt was injured on a Volusia County, Florida beach.A tourist from Kansas, Erin and her family drove over 20 hours to spend some time on Daytona's famous beach. http://www.kansas.com/2011/08/14/1973013/wichita-woman-recovering-after.html Erin was sunbathing when a truck performed what has been described as an improper U-turn and ran over her head and torso. She suffered hearing loss, sight impairment, facial fractures, broken ribs and a host of other injuries.
Mrs. Joynt's 8-year-old and 5-year-old were coming out of the water when it happened. Her 8-year-old daughter saw the incident and turned the smaller one around. She was mature enough to know she didn't want him to see this, which she discussed on NBC's Today Show with Matt Laurer.
The Joynt family and Mr. Phillips appeared on NBC's Today Show on September 22, 2011. It made international news.
Erin's incident wasn't the first by Volusia County Beach Patrol. On May 13, 2011, a lifeguard ran over college student's arm and hand while making a U-turn on the beach.
The Ohio tourist suffered minor injuries. She wasn't the first, either. Carole Dalton sunbathed in a beach chair near the lifeguard tower on June 9, 2010 when a lifeguard performed a U-turn and ran over her in her beach chair, where she became stuck for a period of time.
She suffered a compound fracture to her right leg because her beach chair and her leg were trapped in the undercarriage of the truck.
Dalton was out of work and her injuries included fractured shinbone that required surgery.
According to the lifeguard, it was "due to the blind spot" on his 2010 Ford pickup, he couldn't see Dalton. This was the same type truck used in the two subsequent incidents and Volusia County. Mrs. Joynt was the most traumatically injured. The vehicles still patrol Volusia beaches, despite plans to remove them that have existed for some time. Since 2007, more than 50 people have been struck or killed in beach-driving accidents. .
At least five of these incidents involved a Beach Patrol officer or lifeguard. None were fatal. Volusia has paid $135,000 in settlement costs to some of the victims.
John is suing Volusia County. When the County released statements about Erin being "fine" and down playing the incident, Mr. Phillips spoke before the County Council. He told County representatives to get ready for a lawsuit and that more needed to be done to protect people.
The County indicated cameras have been installed in the trucks
Ishika Lay Case
John M. Phillips is the attorney for Ishika Lay and her family, who is in a coma after collapsing in an Olympic qualifying tournament.Ishika Lay was a few fights away from realizing her dream of making the women's U.S. Olympic boxing team. It is the first time women's boxing has been an Olympic sport since 1904. . Boxing was the only Olympic sport that didn't have a women's counterpart.
At Purdue University, Lay excelled at track and field. In 2002, a motorcycle accident in Jacksonville left her in a wheelchair for seven months, told she may never walk again. She fought both and earned praise as a wide receiver on a women's football team in Jacksonville. She then took up boxing.
On October 4, 2011 at the Police Athletic League Boxing Championship, the 32-year-old boxer from Jacksonville, Fla., collapsed. Ms. Lay was rushed to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, where she was in critical condition for many weeks. . Ms. Lay's opponent was three to four feet outside of striking range when Ishika collapsed.
Ms. Lay's trainer said Ms. Lay was in a sparring match and took several blows to the head and face ten days prior. Ms. Lay had complained of severe headaches since.
Breakthrough Sports
John founded the Breakthrough Sports Agency in 2009 to give athletes an alternative to larger sports agencies. (www.mybtsa.com). He focuses on contracts and marketing of athletes and has been featured on sports media all over the country, including Rivals Radio.Sports and Courts Radio
In 2011, he began hosting his own radio show after appearing weekly on syndicated shows all across the nation. John hosts a show called “Sports & Courts,” which focuses on listeners’ legal problems and provides insight into the legal issues regularly intersecting with sports. He also appears on national shows such as the Lex & Terry Morning Show and the Mancow Morning Show.Acclaim
Since 2009, John has spoken over 150 times in the topics of personal injury, criminal law, and sports law. He has written law reviews and news pieces and has advised governments about legal and policy reform.He has appeared on NBC’s the Today Show and regularly appears on other National Media outlets as a legal correspondent and athlete advocate.
In 2009, and again in 2010, John was named a “Rising Star” under age 35 and “Super Lawyer.”
He was also awarded the highest rating of 10 a lawyer can receive by Avvo.
Martindale, a company rating lawyers since the 1800’s awarded John a rating of AV-Preeminent, the highest offered. Finally, John was awarded the title of “Best Lawyer in Jacksonville” by the Folio Weekly and its readers in 2011.
John has also been profiled by various magazines and newspapers for the change he has tried to bring and has spoken on a variety of legal and social issues across the country.