John F. Hawkins Photo
  • Bio
  • Education & Admissions
  • Past Employment
  • Memberships & Achievements
  • Cases & Classes

John F. Hawkins

John is the principal of Hawkins Law, P.C. in Jackson and has been fighting for the rights of injured people, victims of abuse and neglect, and small businesses since graduating from law school in 1993. John works hard and cares deeply for his clients.

Firm Philosophy

We handle legal issues that affect our clients’ health, livelihood, and loved ones. It is a great honor that our clients place their trust in us to fight for them. At Hawkins Law, P.C. we put the client first.

So, we are a little different than some of the big advertising firms you might see. We focus seriously on treating our clients as individuals with their own set of legal issues and needs. Clients of Hawkins Law are not treated as just a number in an inventory. We don’t settle huge volumes of cases on the cheap. We care about our clients and we will work to resolve your individual case for the best result possible.

A Little About John

John is a 1990 graduate of Millsaps College in Jackson Mississippi, and graduated cum laude from Tulane law school in 1993.

John has tried many cases in federal and state courts for his clients and holds an AV preeminent rating for the highest legal ability and ethical standards as rated by Judges and fellow lawyers.

In the whistleblower case Aldridge o/b/o United States v. CMI et al, 1:16-cv-00369-HTW-LGI [Doc. 570], John helped secure a multi-million dollar jury verdict against defendants who defrauded taxpayers using a small critical access hospital in a rural community in south Mississippi. District Judge Henry T. Wingate stated the following regarding John’s contribution to the case and trial:

Attorney Hawkins was an active participant in the trial, examining and cross-examining witnesses, briefing, and arguing motions and evidentiary matters. Hawkins made a meaningful contribution to the conduct of the case and did so with consummate skill, consistent with … the upper echelon of attorneys in this area.

John is honored to have been selected as a fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation. He is an active member of the Mississippi Bar Association, currently serving as a Bar Commissioner, District 7, post 1. He has served on numerous committees including the Committee on Professional Responsibility, Capital Area Bar Association, and Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program. John is a past President of the Mississippi Association for Justice (MAJ). He is a member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ). John taught pretrial litigation for the Mississippi College School of Law. John is AV-rated by his peers as listed in Martindale Hubbell and has been selected numerous times as a member of Mid-South Super Lawyers.

John and his wife Dorothy live in Jackson, Mississippi, and have three sons, Jack (24), Henry (21), and Miles (20). John also has family in Georgia and is proud to now be licensed in Georgia and representing clients there too.

Practice Areas

  • Medical malpractice/negligence
  • Nursing home negligence and abuse
  • Car and Truck accident cases
  • Insurance and bad faith cases against insurance companies for failing to pay claims
  • Wrongful termination on behalf of employees who report or refuse to engage in illegal activity
  • Whistleblower cases
  • Cases representing victims of sex abuse or harassment
  • Employment Discrimination
  • Small Business defense and commercial disputes
  • Personal Injury involving serious injuries
  • Products Liability – defective products, roundup cases, hip implants, medical devices, dangerous drugs,
  • Commercial/Business Litigation
  • Cases for victims of fraud and wrongful practices against individuals and institutions
  • Negligent construction cases
  • Administrative Law – representation before the board of nursing, medical board, employee appeals board, etc.

Bar Admissions

  • Mississippi, 1993
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1995
  • U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi, 1995
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, 1998
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 2000
  • Georgia, 2022

Additional Payment Information

  • Free initial consultation in personal injury cases
  • Retainer plus Fixed hourly rates
  • Fixed fees available
  • Hybrid hourly/contingency fee agreements available in business/commercial litigation or other appropriate cases

Education

  • Tulane Law School, New Orleans, Louisiana
    • J.D. - 1993
    • Honors: cum laude
  • Millsaps College
    • B.A. - 1990

Past Positions

  • Presiding Justice Michael D. Sullivan, Supreme Court of Mississippi, Law Clerk, 1993 to 1995
  • Hawkins Gibson, PLLC
  • Hawkins Stracener and Gibson PLLC
  • Baria Hawkins and Stracener PLLC
  • Maxey Wann Fyke and Hawkins, PLLC

Memberships & Achievements

  • President of Mississippi Association of Justice MAJ (formerly Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association), 2006-2007
  • Fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation
  • Elected as a Bar Commissioner for the Mississippi Bar Association
  • Member of the Mississippi Chapter for ABOTA (American Board of Trial Advocates), 2022
  • Charles Clark Inns of Court, 2000
  • Mississippi Bar Committee on Professional Responsibility, 2009-2011
  • Chair of the Labor and Employment Law Section, 2011-2012
  • Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program, 2021–present
  • Member and newsletter committee Capital Area Bar Association (CABA)
  • American Association for Justice (formerly American Trial Lawyers Association)
  • Speaker and author on numerous topics including Arbitration; Removal and Remand; Bad Faith Insurance Practices; Judicial and Lawyer ethics and professionalism; Nursing Home Negligence; Hurricane Katrina Insurance Litigation; Lawyers and Judges assistance program – health and wellness; Importance and preservation of Jury trials; use of Zoom in litigation and trials
  • Fifth Cir. Federal Bar Association

Representative Cases

  • Roman Catholic Diocese of Jackson v. Morrison 2005 WL 1039 146 (Miss. May 5 2005)
  • Cortez Byrd Chips, Inc. v. Bill Harbert Construction Co., 529 U.S. 193, 120 S.Ct. 1331, 146 C.Ed.2d 171 (2000)
  • $5.2 million settlement for 20 victims of sex abuse by Catholic Priests
  • Taylor v. Uhaul – $1 million plus jury verdict for man seriously injured due to negligent maintenance and brake failure
  • Aldridge obo United States v. Cain et al – multi-million jury verdict and $32,000,000 judgment for Medicare Fraud (2020)
  • Williams v. Dr. Doe– $2.6 million jury verdict in medical malpractice/negligence case causing catastrophic birth injury case (Rankin County Mississippi, 2020)
  • McGowen v. Biloxi Diocese – Mississippi Supreme Court reversal of trial Court’s dismissal of case alleging sex abuse
  • Adams v. Manhattan – Mississippi Appellate Courts ruled in favor of jury trial rights, finding arbitration clause unenforceable against patient and his family in nursing home case (2022)

Classes/Seminars

  • Adjunct Law Professor, Mississippi College School of Law
  • Numerous Continuing Legal Education speaking engagements for the Mississippi Bar Summer School for Lawyers, Mississippi Association for Justice, Capital Area Bar Association, and others
  • The National Trial Lawyers Top 100
  • Super Lawyers
  • Mississippi Bar Foundation Fellowship
  • AV Preeminent Rating
  • American Board of Trial Advocates
  • Super Lawyers 10 Years

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