John Morgan (lawyer)

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For the British constitutional lawyer, see J. H. Morgan.

John Morgan
Born
John Bryan Morgan

(1956-03-31) March 31, 1956 (age 65)
Lexington, Kentucky, US
EducationUniversity of Florida (BA, JD)
OccupationPersonal injury lawyer
Years active1984–present
Political partyDemocratic (before 2017)
Independent (2017–present)
Spouse(s)Ultima Ann Degnan, 1982–present (4 children)
WebsiteOfficial website

John Bryan Morgan (born March 31, 1956)[1] is an American attorney and businessman. He is the founder of personal injury law firm .[2]

Early life and education[]

Morgan was born in Lexington, Kentucky, the eldest of five children.[3] In 1971, his family moved to Winter Park, Florida. From 1974 to 1982, he attended the University of Florida (1974–1978) and the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin School of Law (1978–1982), where he attained his Juris Doctor. Morgan met his wife, Ultima Degnan, while studying law. They were married in May 1982.

Morgan & Morgan[]

From 1988 to 2005, Morgan was a founding partner at Morgan Colling & Gilbert. In 2005, he bought out his partners and renamed the firm Morgan & Morgan. The firm bills itself as "America's Largest Injury Law Firm." Morgan & Morgan is headquartered in Orlando. The firm has over 3,000 employees, including 700 lawyers in 49 states.[4] In 2018, the firm received over two million phone calls and signed up 500 new cases each day. That year, the firm collected $1.5 billion in settlements and spent $130 million nationwide on advertising. Morgan was one of the first lawyers to advertise in phone books and television commercials.[5]

Morgan & Morgan contributed $1.5 million toward a proposed Florida constitutional amendment to raise the hourly minimum wage to $15. Orlando Weekly reported that some employees at Morgan & Morgan made less than $15 per hour. When questioned by Orlando Weekly, Morgan said "I can tell what angle you're getting at with this story, and it's bullshit," saying that many of his call center employees start out with a $25,000 annual salary (an hourly wage of $15 an hour is equal to roughly $31,200 a year), and told a reporter "I bet you don't make $25,000 a year."[6]

Morgan is close to Joe Biden's younger brother, Frank Biden. Morgan flew Frank Biden to Joe Biden's inauguration in his private jet. Morgan said he talked to Frank Biden about job opportunities at Morgan & Morgan.[7]

In 2021, Morgan fired half of his firm's marketing department. The staffing purge came in the wake of a controversial Morgan & Morgan national advertising campaign, "Size Matters," which was meant to convey the large scale of the firm, but was criticized as an inappropriate dick joke. The staffers who were fired had criticized the ad campaign's phallic implications.[8][9]

Political activities[]

Morgan is a prominent donor to the Democratic Party.[7] He stated in November 2016 that he was considering running for Governor of Florida in the 2018 election.[10] On November 24, 2017, he announced on Twitter that he was disillusioned with the current state of American politics and was leaving the Democratic Party to register as an independent.[11]

Morgan has been involved in efforts to legalize medical marijuana in Florida.[12][13] Medical marijuana appeared as Amendment 2 on the November 2016 ballot. Morgan contributed to the "yes" efforts by donating $6.5 million along with television and radio advertisements personally supporting the measure.[14]

In July 2019, Orlando magazine named Morgan number one on its list of the " Most Powerful Person in Orlando," citing his role as an advisor and fundraiser for Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Nancy Pelosi, and his estimated fortune of $500 million or more.[5]

Morgan pledged to spend $1 million to raise Florida's minimum wage to $15.[15] Morgan & Morgan was a major donor to the political committee Florida for a Fair Wage,[16] donating the bulk of the $4.15 million raised by the campaign.[17] In October 2019, Morgan announced that he had acquired enough signatures to get the minimum wage amendment on the ballot in November 2020.[18]

Morgan donated to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.[19] Morgan gave $355,000 to the Biden Victory Fund in August 2020.[7]

Other ventures[]

Morgan and Jimmy Buffett are partners in a medical marijuana company called "Coral Reefer."[5]

In 2013, Morgan and his wife donated $2 million to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.[20] In 2015, the Morgans pledged $1 million[21] toward a $7.4 million Harbor House domestic abuse shelter.

Morgan is the founder of WonderWorks Attraction,[22] PMP Marketing Group, ClassAction.com, and Abogados.com. He is also a partner in the legal software company Litify.[23] He is a real estate investor who has purchased land, hotels, restaurants, and shopping centers. Morgan's estimated net worth ranges from $500 million[5] to $730 million. He told Orlando magazine that one of his professional goals is to be a billionaire, and that "I think I have a shot."

References[]

  1. ^ "John Morgan". www.familysearch.org. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ Barnett, Cynthia. "Profile: John Morgan Unplugged". Florida Trend.
  4. ^ Kennedy Wynne, Sharon (October 21, 2021). "5 questions for John Morgan on law firm's jingle contest". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d "50 Most Powerful People – John Morgan". Orlando Magazine.
  6. ^ Wolf, Colin (November 2, 2017). "John Morgan is pushing for a $15 minimum wage in Florida, but some employees at his companies make less". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Korecki, Natasha (January 28, 2021). "'For Christ's sake, watch yourself': Biden warns family over business dealings". POLITICO. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  8. ^ Wolf, Colin (May 27, 2021). "John Morgan's marketing department argued over a nationwide dick joke. Half of them were later fired". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  9. ^ Varn, Kathryn (October 7, 2021). "St. Petersburg billboards battle over whether bigger is better". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  10. ^ Lemongello, Steven (November 18, 2016). "John Morgan confirms he's pondering run for governor". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  11. ^ Dixon, Matt (November 24, 2017). "John Morgan: I'm leaving Democratic party, Nelson should run for governor". Politico. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  12. ^ "Florida medical marijuana amendment debate". FOX 13 News – Tampa Bay. October 13, 2014.
  13. ^ "Florida medical marijuana debate (Part 1)". WESH 2 News. October 22, 2014.
  14. ^ Richardson, Matthew (November 9, 2016). "John Morgan shares details, timeline for medical marijuana businesses". Orlando Business Journal. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  15. ^ Caputo, Marc (October 18, 2017). "Morgan pledges $1M for 'living wage' fight". Politico. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  16. ^ "John Morgan contributes another $154,000 in minimum wage campaign". Tampa Bay Times. May 11, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  17. ^ "Orlando attorney John Morgan spent $1 million in July on Florida's fight for minimum wage".
  18. ^ "John Morgan says he has enough signatures to get $15 minimum wage on the 2020 ballot".
  19. ^ Chozick, Amy; Martin, Jonathan (September 3, 2016). "Where Has Hillary Clinton Been? Ask the Ultrarich". The New York Times. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  20. ^ "Second Harvest takes big bite out of hunger today". Wesh. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  21. ^ "John Morgan pledges $1M for new Central Florida Harbor House shelter". Florida Politics. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  22. ^ "John Morgan's WonderWorks thrives in the shadow of the big theme parks".
  23. ^ "Litify, whose tech supports law firm operations, raises $50M".
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