John M. Phillips

John Phillips grew up in Mobile, Alabama — the kind of place where you learn early that the people with the least power often need the most help. He went to the University of Alabama for undergrad and law school, moved to Jacksonville in 2001, and spent the first eight years of his career as a civil defense attorney representing companies like Coca-Cola, Hertz, and State Farm.

He was good at it. And he hated it.

The work paid well, but it meant using his skill set to minimize what injured people received rather than maximize it. So he switched sides — deliberately, permanently. He worked alongside John Morgan, then founded his own firm in 2011 with a premise that hasn’t changed: represent people, not portfolios.

Today, Phillips, Hunt & Walker handles personal injury, wrongful death, criminal defense, family law, medical malpractice, and civil rights cases from their office at 660 Park Street in Jacksonville. John is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law and licensed in eight states and the District of Columbia. But what sets the firm apart isn’t credentials — it’s that John still answers his own phone, still takes cases other firms won’t touch, and still shows up for the Debbies and the Martins and the Williams alongside the headline names.

For the full professional bio, case results, and legal credentials, visit John’s profile at Phillips, Hunt & Walker.

Before anything else — before the courtroom, before the cameras, before the phone calls from producers and journalists — John is a dad.

He’s raising three boys in Jacksonville: Bennett, Weston, and Johnathan. They are the reason he works the way he does, and the reason he comes home the way he does. Every case he takes, every fight he picks, gets filtered through a simple question: what kind of world am I building for them?

Being a trial lawyer and a present father is a balancing act that doesn’t always balance. There are depositions that run late and school events that don’t wait. John has missed things he wishes he hadn’t. But he’s also made choices other lawyers wouldn’t — turning down cases, reshaping his schedule, building a firm culture that treats family time as non-negotiable — because the boys come first.

That perspective shows up in his work in ways clients notice. When he sits across from a parent who just lost a child, or a family torn apart by negligence, he’s not performing empathy. He knows what it means to protect a family, and he knows what it would mean to lose one.

If you ask John what he’s most proud of, he won’t name a verdict. He’ll talk about his kids.

John doesn’t just practice in Jacksonville — he’s invested in it. Literally and personally.

In 2020, he purchased Folio Weekly, the city’s 35-year-old independent news publication, because he believed Jacksonville needed a local voice that wasn’t owned by a national chain. Owning a newspaper isn’t a money play — it’s a civic one. Independent local journalism holds institutions accountable, and John wasn’t willing to watch it disappear.

He has served on the boards of the Shannon Miller Foundation, the National High School Basketball Association, the Spina Bifida Association, and the City of Jacksonville’s Human Rights Commission. The Mayor nominated him to the HRC in 2015. In 2017, he resigned — not because he lost interest, but because he needed to file multiple civil rights lawsuits against the City of Jacksonville. When the institution you serve needs to be held accountable, you don’t look away. You step up, even when it costs you a seat at the table.

Every holiday season, Phillips, Hunt & Walker sponsors a toy drive supporting 3,000 children, delivering over $10,000 in gifts each year. The firm also hosts “Tailgating for a Cause” at the Duuuval House, spotlighting a different local nonprofit every month — turning football Sundays into something bigger than a game.

John has personally raised over $20,000 for the American Cancer Society through the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk and the Real Men Wear Pink campaign. He’s spoken at schools, churches, and community centers across the city. He’s the kind of person who shows up — not with a press release, but with his sleeves rolled up.

Phillips, Hunt & Walker is a two-time “Company With Heart” recipient from 904 Magazine and a Jacksonville Business Journal Partner in Philanthropy. Those awards sit in the office. But the real evidence is in the community.

Some of the cases that have shaped John most are the ones involving kids. Not because they made headlines — though many did — but because they hit close to home in a way that never fades.

His representation of over 100 child victims of pediatric dental abuse by Dr. Howard Schneider resulted in an unprecedented mass settlement — 104 cases resolved for families whose children had been subjected to unnecessary and harmful procedures. These weren’t abstract legal matters. They were parents sitting in John’s office, shaking, trying to understand how someone trusted with their child’s care could do what was done.

The Jordan Davis case brought national attention to the vulnerability of young people and the systems that fail to protect them. Jordan was 17 years old. His family needed someone who wouldn’t flinch under the weight of a case the whole country was watching, and John didn’t.

Every year, the firm’s holiday toy drive puts gifts in the hands of 3,000 children. John has traveled to Ghana with PeaceJam to teach and mentor young people. He has spoken at high schools across the country about justice, equality, and what it means to stand up for someone who can’t stand up for themselves.

Being a father of three boys makes this work personal in a way it wasn’t before he had kids. Every child in every case file is someone’s Bennett, someone’s Weston, someone’s Johnathan. That’s not something you turn off at the end of the day — and John wouldn’t want to.

John doesn’t do this work for the awards. But the recognition matters — not because of what it says about him, but because it tells potential clients and their families that the person fighting for them has been tested and verified at the highest levels.

A few highlights: Forbes named him one of America’s Top 200 Lawyers in 2025. He was selected for NYC Journal’s “50 Under 50” in 2023. He’s been a Super Lawyers honoree every year from 2017 to 2023, and Florida Trend has repeatedly named him to its “Legal Elite” — the top 1% of Florida attorneys.

He is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by The Florida Bar, a distinction held by less than 1% of attorneys in the state. He carries an AV-Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell — the highest possible peer-review rating for legal ability and ethics.

Locally, Folio Weekly readers have voted him Best Lawyer, Best Hero, Best Social Justice Crusader, and Best Personal Injury Lawyer. He’s been named one of the 29 most influential people in Northeast Florida. His firm, Phillips, Hunt & Walker, is a two-time “Company With Heart” recipient from 904 Magazine and a Jacksonville Business Journal Partner in Philanthropy.

For the full list of case results, credentials, and professional history, visit John’s profile at Phillips, Hunt & Walker.

John has become one of the most recognizable legal voices in American media — not because he sought the spotlight, but because he keeps taking cases the country can’t stop talking about.

He’s appeared on CNN (Anderson Cooper’s AC360), HLN, NBC, Dateline NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, Fox News, Court TV, Nightline, Nancy Grace, Crime Watch Daily, and the BBC. He has an IMDB page. He’s been a guest on Ask Dr. Drew, PodcastOne, and dozens of other shows. When a high-profile trial breaks and networks need someone who can explain what’s actually happening in plain English, John’s phone rings.

His YouTube channel has grown to over 100,000 subscribers, with thousands of videos covering legal analysis, case commentary, and advocacy. It started as a way to make the law accessible to regular people — and it still is.

In February 2025, he aired a Super Bowl commercial. Because if you’re going to tell people you fight for them, you might as well say it on the biggest stage there is.

John brings the same directness to the camera that he brings to the courtroom — no hedging, no legalese, just straight talk. That’s why producers keep calling.

Phillips is a sought-after keynote speaker who has addressed audiences at Howard University, the NAACP Annual Meeting, PeaceJam in Ghana, and law firms, colleges, and high schools across the country.

His TEDx Jacksonville talk on race and equality — “America’s Greatest Enemy: The Virus of Prejudice” — was one of the first TEDx speeches broadcast live on YouTube, drawing over 300,000 views and standing as one of the most-watched TEDx talks in Florida history.

Phillips brings the same directness and clarity to the stage that he brings to the courtroom. His talks draw on decades of trial experience, civil rights advocacy, and a deep belief that the law can be a tool for change — if the right people are willing to use it.

To book John for a speaking engagement, contact him at floridajustice.com or call (904) 444-4444.

Phillips, Hunt & Walker
660 Park Street
Jacksonville, FL 32204

Phone: (904) 444-4444
Hours: Weekday 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM (otherwise by appointment)

Firm Website: floridajustice.com

Connect with John:

• YouTube: 100,000+ subscribers
• Facebook: facebook.com/phillipsjohn (55,000+ followers)
• Instagram: @johnphillipsesq
• Twitter/X: @JohnPhillips
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jmphillips