John Morgan of Morgan & Morgan

John Morgan was a classmate of mine at the University of Florida law school. He is three years older than me and a century wiser when it comes to the business of law. John Morgan is a leader and a visionary. I could tell this quickly after I first met him while we were law students at the University of Florida. He is still the same person, and I personally feel all of us are better for John’s dedication and contribution to law.

John Morgan was not the first advertising attorney following the 1977 Supreme Court case of Bates v. State Bar of Arizona, 433 U.S. 350 (1977), allowing attorney advertising. But in my opinion, John Morgan is the best advertising attorney. He certainly is courageous by suggesting that “bigger is better.” If John Morgan were to run for governor of Florida, I would vote for him. John Morgan has a heart of gold and is a self-starter entrepreneur, which we need in this country. I am proud to be his classmate and consider him a friend. He has made his mark on the law and provided justice to many who could not otherwise afford it.

Friends push and kid each other. I posted a Facebook photo of me on my sailboat Merlin (which was named “Merlin” 40 years before I bought her) after finally getting the sailboat’s steering fixed, where I stated:

“Fun day in sunny Southern California. Steering is fixed. Next stop is San Francisco for the Rolex Big Boat Series.”

John Morgan wrote in response:

“Rich man’s sport.”

Those who know me know that I grew up in humble beginnings—maybe not as humble as John Morgan, but there was no silver spoon in my mouth. My father was a career military officer in the Coast Guard. In my books, I have confessed that I did not want to follow in his career because military officers made so little money and were forced to be away from their families for years. My books talk about my appreciation that Yacht Clubs allow for honorary and reduced dues for military families. Sailing is second nature to me because people found a way to allow people like me to participate regardless of their income.

So, I responded to my friend John Morgan:

“Shows you have no clue about Sailboat racing. Maybe I can teach you how to sail a boat someday? My first business was teaching kids when I was a teenager. Lots of fun and people of all ages and incomes love the thrill of being on the water. Cheers!”

My first true job and business was teaching others how to sail at the St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club in Panama City, Florida, when I was 15 years old. Here is a picture of how a skinny kid who loved racing sailboats looked back then when all I cared about was sailing and winning sailing races:

Even today, I would love to take anybody on a sailboat to experience the wind in their hair, the sun on their face, and the movement of water on their body from a boat with foils above and below the water moving their vessel forward. There is no other sensation like it on the planet.

I think it has been for the best that I became a person solely dedicated to the interests of policyholders rather than a sailboat racer. This is long before advertising attorneys who now claim all kinds of false things about their ability to be experts in this field of property insurance law. There are a lot of “Pretenders Not Contenders” in this field of law because of advertising.

John Morgan is a genuine person and friend who I need to get on a sailboat. He could influence many more to the joys of sailing.

Thought For The Day

If I want to pad the record, just fight pretenders, get a quick paycheck and keep moving on and racking up wins, that’s not something I want to be known for.
—Mikey Garcia