Mr. Howard Coker is the President and a founding partner of Coker Law. Recognized by his peers as a prominent Florida trial attorney, he is a passionate and active advocate. In the pursuit of justice, Mr. Coker has tried over 350 jury trials to conclusion and handled thousands of mediated settlements – a top record for results.
For his tireless service and consistent commitment to both professional and community organizations, Mr. Coker has received a number of significant awards and honors. He holds multiple lifetime achievement awards, including the Jacksonville Business Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2017), and the Florida Justice Association’s Perry Nichols Award (2006) and Al J. Cone Lifetime Achievement Award (2009). He has been named as one of Florida Trend Magazine’s top 1% “Legal Elite”, listed as a Florida Super Lawyer every year since the program’s inception in 2006, and consistently chosen as a Top 100 Florida Super Lawyer.
Among Mr. Coker’s numerous professional affiliations are his 2008 appointment by the Florida Governor as a member of the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission and his 2010 appointment by the Florida Supreme Court to the Florida Innocence Commission. He was awarded the ABA-TIPS Award for Lifetime Pursuit of Justice in 2011, named Best Lawyers’ Jacksonville Personal Injury Litigator of the Year in 2014, received the 2016 Compassionate Gladiator Award for Strength, Skill, Drive and Heart from the Florida Justice Association and the 2017 Ultimate Attorney Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jacksonville Business Journal. Aside from these distinguished accomplishments, Mr. Coker continues to volunteer his time and efforts to a long list of civic and nonprofit organizations, even receiving the 2017 Bob Hayes “Man of the Year” Community Service Award.
$22.5 Million Awarded For Catastrophic Highway Crash
Coker Law Wins Client $11 Million Verdict After Frightening Crash On Mathews Bridge
Jury Awards $3.6 million to Truck Driver’s Family
Devastating Car Crash Case Concludes with $1.4 Million Verdict & Settlement
Teamwork Successfully Proves Brain Injury for Jury Verdict of $2,215,000.00
Jury Finds Stadium Management Negligent in Slip and Fall Accident for $1.475 Million
Avid Athlete Receives Jury Verdict and Additional Awards of $3,090,717
Insurance Attorney Turns to Coker Law for a Jury Verdict for $2,641,811.74
Family Vindicated By Jury Verdict of More Than $850,000
Slip on Movie Theater Floor Results in Jury Award of $233,000
Jury Awards $1.4 Million To Sisters Hit By Truck While Stuck in Traffic
Areas of Practice
Motor Vehicle Crashes
Trucking Crashes
Railroad Crashes
Personal Injury
Wrongful Death
Medical Malpractice
Brain/Spinal Cord Injury
Insurance
Bad Faith
Alternative Dispute Resolution
General Litigation
Civil Litigation
Contracts
Toxic Torts
Ethics And Professional Responsibility
Mediation
Insurance Coverage
Insurance Disputes
Sexual Abuse
Assault And Battery
Animal Bites
Slip And Fall
Inadequate Security
Negligent Security
Premises Liability
General Negligence
Dram Shop Laws
Construction Accident
Products Liability
Motor Vehicle Defects
Personal
Born: April 30, 1947 in Jacksonville, Florida
Education
University of Florida:
Bachelor of Science (1969)
Juris Doctor (1971)
University Honors And Activities
Phi Delta Phi
Florida Blue Key
Certifications
Board Certified in Civil Trial Practice, The Florida Bar (1985)
Board Certified Civil Trial Specialist by National Board of Trial Advocacy (1987)
Bar Admissions
Courts of the State of Florida
U.S. District Court – Northern District of Florida
U.S. District Court – Middle District of Florida
U.S. District Court – Southern District of Florida
U.S. Court of Appeals – 11th Circuit
Supreme Court of the United States
Professional Honors, Activities And Affiliations
Jacksonville Bar Association
The Florida Bar:
President (1998-1999)
Board of Governors (1994-1998)
All Bar Conference Committee (1996)
Annual Meeting Committee (1996)
Chair, Board Review Committee on Professional Ethics
Chair, Section Leadership Conference
Budget Committee
Chair, Program Evaluation Committee
Executive Council of the Trial Lawyers Section (1987-1994) (Chair, 1992-1993; Executive Committee, 1989-1992)
Council of Sections (1991-1994; Chair, 1993-1994)
Basic Trial Advocacy School of The Florida Bar
Faculty and Workshop Leader (1981-1992)
Advanced Trial Advocacy School of The Florida Bar:
Co-Chairman (1991)
Faculty (1991-1994)
Steering Committee (1992-1994)
The Florida Bar Foundation: Fellow, Life Member
American Bar Association:
House of Delegates (1997-1999)
Fellow, American Bar Foundation
International Society of Barristers:
Fellow (1998-present)
International Academy of Trial Lawyers:
Fellow (2001-present)
Roscoe Pound Foundation
Association of Trial Lawyers of America:
Board Member (2003-2004)
American Board of Trial Advocates:
Charter Member; President, Jacksonville Chapter (1988)
Diplomat (1995)
Charter Fellow of the American Board of Trial Advocates
Florida Federation of American Board of Trial Advocates:
President (1997)
Jacksonville Chapter Representative (1989-present)
Florida Justice Association (Eagle Member):
President (2002-2003)
Board of Directors (1995-present)
First Coast Trial Lawyers Association
Florida Lawyer Association for the Maintenance of Excellence:
Board of Directors (1995-1997)
The Chester Bedell Memorial Foundation:
Board of Trustees (1996-2001)
The Chester Bedell Inns of Court Master (1997)
Southern Trial Lawyers Association
University of Florida Mock Trial Team Adviser (1991-1996)
University of North Florida-Adjunct Professor:
Torts: Personal Injury Litigation
Legal Investigation for Legal Assistant Students
University of Florida:
National Alumni Association Charter Life Member
President’s Council (1992-1994)
Florida Supreme Court Historical Society (President, 2005-present)
United States Supreme Court Historical Society
Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission (2008-present)
Florida Innocence Commission Member (appointed 2010 by the Florida Supreme Court)
Civic Activities
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens: Board of Directors, Chairman
Florida Ducks Unlimited:
Life Sponsor
Area Chairman of the Year (1991-1992)
Florida Conservation Association (President, 1994)
Spina Bifida Association of Jacksonville Board of Directors
Learn To Read:
2007 “Kiss the Pig” Top Fund Raiser
2007 “Business Champion of the Year”
Recognitions
AV-Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Million Dollar Advocates Forum
The Best Lawyers in America
Who’s Who in America?
American Board of Trial Advocacy, 2003 “Lawyer of the Year”
Florida Justice Association:
Golden Eagle Award
B.J. Masterson Award for Professionalism (2005)
Perry Nichols Award (2006)
W. McKinley Smiley, Jr. Award (2006)
Al. J. Cone Lifetime Achievement Award (2009)
Florida Super Lawyer:
Selected each year since program’s inception in 2006
Consistently selected as Top 100 Florida Super Lawyer
2007 Jacksonville Financial Times & Daily Record “Lawyer of the Year”
2007 FLABOTA’s “Trial Lawyer of the Year”
Jacksonville’s Best Lawyers-Jacksonville Magazine (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
2009 Jacksonville Bar Association’s “True Champion For Diversity Award”
2010 Best Lawyers “Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year,” Jacksonville, FL
Lawdragon.com 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyer Guide
Florida Trend Legal Elite, Plaintiff – Personal Injury
Representative Publications And Presentations
Speaker, Induction of Candidates for Admission to The Florida Bar, October 1998.
Celebrity Roast Honoring Sheriff Nat Glover, Spina Bifida Association, Roaster, November 1998.
“How to Motivate Members to Use The Florida Bar”– Speaker, Collier County Bar Association, Naples, December 1998.
“Ethics and Professionalism” — Speaker, 1st DCA Appellate Seminar, Tallahassee, January 1999.
“Independence of the Judiciary” — Speaker, Clearwater Bar Association, March 1999.
Speaker, State Mock Trial Competition, Tallahassee, March 1999.
“Professionalism – It Counts”– Speaker, St. Thomas University School of Law, Miami, April 1999.
“Preparing & Presenting the Effective Opening Statement”– Speaker, 1999 Advanced Trial Skills Seminar, Orlando, November 1999.
“The Role of the Judicial Assistant with Lawyers”– Speaker, 2000 JAAF Winter Educational Conference, Jacksonville Beach, February 2000.
The Florida Bar’s Professionalism Seminar, Panelist, Florida Bar Convention, Boca Raton, June 2000.
“Successful Jury Selection Techniques” — Speaker, Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, General Session Annual Convention, West Palm Beach, June 2001.
“The Nuts & Bolts of Final Argument” — Speaker, Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, Al J. Cone Trial Advocacy Institute, Orlando, August 2001.
“Presentation of Voir Dire Examination in Areas of Pre-Existing Injuries and General Damages” — Speaker, Jacksonville Trial Lawyers Association, Jacksonville, May 2002.
“Voir Dire/25 Mistakes Made by Attorneys”– Speaker, Inaugural Raymond Ehrlich Trial Advocacy Seminar, Jacksonville, June 2002.
“Navigating the Minefield: Avoiding and Reacting to Improper Statements During Closing Arguments”– Speaker, The Florida Bar 2004 Advanced Evidence Seminar, Orlando, April 2004.
Masters in Trial Seminar, Direct of Plaintiff’s Expert, Speaker, The American Board of Trial Advocates, June 2007.
“Lessons from Courtroom Experience”– Panelist, Florida Justice Association, Jacksonville, September 2007.
Delegation Member and Group Leader, People to People, Russia, November 2007.
Diversity Symposium, Moderator, Jacksonville Bar Association, February 2009.
“Products Liability: Danger in the Marketplace”– Speaker, 2009 Florida College of Advanced Judicial Studies, June 2009.
