John Morgan (lawyer)

John Morgan
Born John Bryan Morgan
(1956-03-31) March 31, 1956
Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Alma mater University of Florida (BA, JD)
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Ultima Morgan
Children 4

John Morgan (born March 31, 1956) is an American lawyer. He is the founder of the nationwide personal injury law firm Morgan & Morgan.[1]

Early life

John Bryan Morgan was born in Lexington, Kentucky. He grew up in Lexington until 1971, when his family moved to Orlando, Florida. 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.

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. Eventually 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.[2][3] 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.[4][5] 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.

Medical marijuana appeared again as Amendment 2 on the November 2016 ballot. Morgan contributed heavily to the Yes efforts by donating $6.5 million along with television and radio advertisements personally supporting the measure.[6] Amendment 2 was approved 71.3% to 28.7%, surpassing the 60% requirement for constitutional amendments.[7]

Political positions and activities

Morgan stated in November 2016 that he's considering running for Governor of Florida in the 2018 election.[8]

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."[9]

Philanthropy and political contributions

Morgan and his wife Ultima are involved in multiple philanthropic initiatives.[10] Both have contributed $2 million donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida[11] 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.[12]

Personal life

John Morgan met his life partner 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

  1. ↑ Smith, Adam C. (November 29, 2013). "John Morgan: the bombastic, omnipresent lawyer fueling Florida's 2014 election". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Florida medical marijuana amendment debate". FOX 13 News - Tampa Bay. October 13, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Florida medical marijuana debate (Part 1)". WESH 2 News. October 22, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Florida Right to Medical Marijuana Initiative, Amendment 2 (2014)". Ballotpedia. November 4, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Amendment 2: Medical marijuana initiative defeated in Florida". ABC News Channel 9. November 5, 2014.
  6. ↑ Richardson, Matthew (November 9, 2016). "John Morgan shares details, timeline for medical marijuana businesses". Orlando Business Journal. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Florida Medical Marijuana Legalization, Amendment 2 (2016)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  8. ↑ Lemongello, Steven (November 18, 2016). "John Morgan confirms he's pondering run for governor". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  9. ↑ Dixon, Matt (November 17, 2016). "Morgan says he's considering gubernatorial bid". Politico. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Getting to know "For the People" attorney John Morgan with this week's "10 questions"". ABC ACTION NEWS. November 17, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Building Solutions to Hunger". Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. May 31, 2012.
  12. ↑ Chozick, Amy; Martin, Jonathan (September 3, 2016). "Where Has Hillary Clinton Been? Ask the Ultrarich". The New York Times. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
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