"Equal access to justice is fundamental to actual justice. I am opposed to scenarios where large insurance companies, governments or other powerful corporate interests are permitted to trample the rights of a less protected, or less financially-capable, person or business. It is my goal to always zealously fight for the equal representation of victim litigants and level the playing field to make clients whole again.”
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Maggie Jo Hilliard, Esq. is a Kentucky & Florida Licensed Attorney with legal experience as first and second counsel in civil and criminal courts at the state and federal levels. Maggie Jo enjoys legal research and writing, litigation, trials and hearings, assisting co-counsels, creative arts, business development, entertainment law, criminal law, family law, personal injury litigation, probate matters, adoption, appellate law and contract law. With trial-to-appeal successes, Maggie Jo Hilliard does not like to bow-out under pressure when justice is at stake. Post-trial (and interlocutory), she has accumulated wins in the appellate courts of the 1st and 2nd District Courts of Appeal in Florida as a prosecutor and defender. While noting that “justice can be frustrating”, she also believes that being an attorney demands informing and educating clients about the intricacies of their cases so that the client can make great choices. Maggie Jo believes that good client representation means good communication.
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As a Kentucky-girl-at-heart, Maggie Jo lives and works in Louisville, Kentucky assisting businesses and individuals with legal and creative development services. Maggie Jo also splits her time in Florida working on statewide personal injury matters as an Associate Attorney at Kemp, Ruge and Green Legal Group from Tampa and Jacksonville.
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Maggie Jo's goal is to offer economical and comprehensive legal and creative advice to her clients, while utilizing modern technologies to simplify processes. She strives to teach clients about the intricacies of going to trial or working to prevent it altogether; and teaching clients how to "DIY" the many aspects of modern business development and marketing.
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"MoJo" began her creative career at Western Kentucky University in from 1999-2003, operating a business development and design company while attending school and working part-time. Her legal career began in Jacksonville, Florida where she received her Juris Doctor Degree in December 2005 after completing the three year doctoral program in 2 1/2 years. After graduation and passing the bar the first time, she was the only member of her class invited to join the prestigious Fourth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s office as an Assistant State Attorney in 2006. Prior to formal Florida attorney licensing, Maggie Jo was recognized as a Certified Legal Intern, capable of trying cases as a student litigator in Florida criminal prosecutions. As a Florida Assistant State Attorney (2006-2007), she participated in many trials, hearings and depositions on behalf of the State of Florida focusing on animal law, domestic relations matters, driving under the influence, traffic offenses, illegal drug offenses, theft crimes, battery, assault and other allegations.
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In 2008, she opened The Law Office of Maggie Jo Hilliard, P.A. in Neptune Beach, Florida, later moving to Atlantic Beach. With her own law office, she represented the interests of private clients and the indigent accused, gaining experience in a myriad of legal areas from state and federal civil and criminal litigation cases to contractual business and personal matters.
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From 2013 to 2014, Maggie Jo proudly represented the indigent accused as an Appellate Attorney and Assistant Public Defender for the 10th Judicial Circuit and Second District Court of Appeals and won several appeals in the Second District Court of Appeals and Circuit Courts of the Tenth Circuit.
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From 2010 to 2011, Maggie Jo starred in a legal reality show pilot (which never aired) called Lipstick Justice. In 2015, Maggie Jo worked as an Associate Producer in Los Angeles creating another network courtroom show which has now been cancelled unfortunately.
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From 2012 - 2013, Maggie Jo worked on legal projects involving the housing crisis, corporate litigation and other matters in New York City while also taking acting courses at The Simon Studio to improve litigation nervousness. In 2014, Maggie Jo returned to New York City to volunteer at JFK airport with hundreds of other lawyers to fight against Trump's immigration policies affecting thousands of resident and refugee Americans.
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In addition to her legal practice, Maggie Jo enjoys community and political volunteering and advocating on behalf of people, animals, and the environment. Hilliard has served her community as a Board of Directors Member for the Jacksonville Urban League and the Florida Guardian ad Litem Foundation. She has also held national campaign political positions with the Young Democrats of America assisting in fundraising and GOTV events to further to the interests of scientists, students, educators, animal and human victims, new Americans, truthful media, people of color, the LGBTQ community, homeless and food-insecure people and criminal justice organizations. Maggie Jo has also served on governmental advisory panels evaluating public service pensions, and attorney panels for voter and election protection. For 5 years, Maggie Jo hosted Merry Charity to fund-raise for local progressive charities in Jacksonville, Florida. She has also raised funds and donated her time to assist the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, HabiJax, JASMYN, First Coast No More Homeless Pets, the National Urban League, the Riverkeeper, the North Florida School and other non-profit and political organizations.
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Maggie Jo is also an avid acrylic abstract painter (prints + products available here), graphic designer and web designer (portfolio link) who loves to build and redesign modern, creative and professional businesses and teach entrepreneurs how to keep their dreams alive.
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To contact Maggie Jo, email her at hello@maggiejo.com or call/text 813-540-7171.