John Morgan (lawyer)

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

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

John Morgan
Born
John Bryan Morgan

(1956-03-31) March 31, 1956
Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Florida (BA, JD)
OccupationPersonal injury/class action/injury lawyer
Years active1984–present
Political partyDemocratic (Before 2017)
Independent (2017–present)
Spouse(s)Ultima Ann Degnan, 1982-present (4 children)
WebsiteOfficial website

Biography

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.

In July 2019, Orlando magazine named Morgan the Most Powerful Person in Orlando.[4]

Morgan has been involved in efforts to legalize medical marijuana in Florida.[5][6] Medical marijuana appeared again 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.[7]

Political activity

Morgan stated in November 2016 that he was considering running for Governor of Florida in the 2018 election.[8] 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.[9]

Morgan has pledged he would spend $1 million to raise Florida’s minimum wage to $15. [10] Since December 2017, Morgan & Morgan has donated $478,158 to the political committee Florida for a Fair Wage. [11] As of August 2019, Morgan & Morgan had donated the bulk of the $4.15 million raised by the political committee Florida for a Fair Wage.[12] In October 2019, Morgan announced that he had acquired enough signatures to get the minimum wage amendment on the ballot in November 2020.[13]

Morgan donated to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.[14]

Philanthropy

In March 2013, John Morgan and his wife Ultima donated $2 million[15] to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, money that went toward a 100,000-square-foot facility. Second Harvest estimated that the value of the food stored in the facility would exceed $1.4 billion[16]. John Morgan called the donation[17] “one of the best things we’ve ever done.”

In 2015, the Morgans pledged $1 million[18] toward a $7.4 million Harbor House domestic abuse shelter. The 119-bed, 27,500-square-foot facility will be called[19] the Morgan & Morgan Home — A Safe Haven for Families.

In 2017, the Morgans donated $1 million[20] to Joel Hunter’s Community Resource Network, whose mission[21] is to provide resources and support “for families and individuals experiencing homelessness who do not qualify for government funded housing programs.”

After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in September 2017, John Morgan let aid groups use his private plane to fly doctors and supplies to the territory. The plane transported more than 2,000 pounds of supplies, which the doctors used to help people in need of urgent medical care.[22]

Since 2017, Morgan & Morgan has awarded an annual For The People Scholarship[23] to a law student who “is driven to fight for those who need it most.” The scholarship award is several thousand dollars in tuition. The winners by year:

  • 2019[24]: Eve Canton of Southwestern Law School
  • 2018[25]: Molly Sandoval of California Western School of Law
  • 2017[26]: Li Reed of Harvard Law School
  • 2016[27]: Brian Payton of Harvard Law School

In 2019, John and Ultima Morgan donated $1 million to the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law, in honor of their friend and the college’s namesake, Fredric G. Levin (Class of ‘61). The money will be used to fund student scholarships.[28]


Other business ventures

In addition to Morgan & Morgan, John Morgan is the founder of WonderWorks Attraction,[29] PMP Marketing Group, ClassAction.com, Abogados.com, and other business ventures. He is also a partner in the legal software company Litify, which raised $50 million[30] in funding in June 2019, and he is a real estate investor who has purchased land, hotels, restaurants, and shopping centers. Morgan’s estimated net worth ranges from $500 million[31] 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.”

Bibliography
  • You Can’t Teach Hungry… Creating the Multimillion Dollar Law Firm (2011)
  • You Can’t Teach Vision: The Twenty-First Century Law Firm (2015)[32]

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. "50 Most Powerful People – John Morgan". Orlando Magazine.
  5. "Florida medical marijuana amendment debate". FOX 13 News - Tampa Bay. October 13, 2014.
  6. "Florida medical marijuana debate (Part 1)". WESH 2 News. October 22, 2014.
  7. Richardson, Matthew (November 9, 2016). "John Morgan shares details, timeline for medical marijuana businesses". Orlando Business Journal. 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 24, 2017). "John Morgan: I'm leaving Democratic party, Nelson should run for governor". Politico. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  10. Caputo, Marc (October 18, 2017). "Morgan pledges $1M for 'living wage' fight". Politico. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  11. "John Morgan contributes another $154,000 in minimum wage campaign". Tampa Bay Times. May 11, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  12. "Orlando attorney John Morgan spent $1 million in July on Florida's fight for minimum wage".
  13. "John Morgan says he has enough signatures to get $15 minimum wage on the 2020 ballot".
  14. Chozick, Amy; Martin, Jonathan (September 3, 2016). "Where Has Hillary Clinton Been? Ask the Ultrarich". The New York Times. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  15. "Second Harvest takes big bite out of hunger today". Wesh. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  16. "Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida". Feed Hope Now. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  17. "GIVING BACK". Forthepeople. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  18. "John Morgan pledges $1M for new Central Florida Harbor House shelter". Florida Politics. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  19. "Harbor House Breaks Ground on New 119-Bed Emergency Housing Facility for Domestic Abuse Survivors and Providing the Design for Worldwide Use". El Diario. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  20. "MORGAN FAMILY DONATES $1M TO NORTHLAND PASTOR JOEL HUNTER'S HOMELESS AID NONPROFIT". For the People. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  21. "OUR MISSION". Community Resource Network. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  22. "LAKE COUNTY TEAMS HELPS IN PUERTO RICO". Lake and Summer Style. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  23. "FOR THE PEOPLE SCHOLARSHIP". For the People. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  24. ""FOR THE PEOPLE" SCHOLARSHIP WINNER ANNOUNCED". Forthepeople. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  25. "ADVOCATE FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMS RECEIVES 2018 FTP SCHOLARSHIP". Forthepeople. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  26. "2ND ANNUAL FOR THE PEOPLE SCHOLARSHIP WINNER ANNOUNCED". Forthepeople. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  27. "FOR THE PEOPLE SCHOLARSHIP WINNER ANNOUNCED". Forthepeople. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  28. "Ultima and John Morgan Donate $1 MillionUltima and John Morgan Donate $1 Million". Youtube. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  29. "John Morgan's WonderWorks thrives in the shadow of the big theme parks".
  30. "Litify, whose tech supports law firm operations, raises $50M".
  31. "50 Most Powerful People – John Morgan".
  32. "You Can't Teach Vision". Trial Guides. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
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