Jack Hickey is a trial attorney. Since 1980, he has been trying personal injury and wrongful death cases in the areas of admiralty and maritime, railroad, medical malpractice, product liability, and general liability. Hickey is Board Certified as a Civil Trial Lawyer by The Florida Bar and by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA). The NBTA is the only national certification program for trial attorneys and is accredited by the American Bar Association.

Hickey is rated A/V by Martindale-Hubbell (the international listing of attorneys, a rating achieved by only 5% of attorneys.  The rating indicates that the attorney “has reached the height of professional excellence” and is “recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity”.  He is also listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in Emerging Leaders in America. He has been chosen by other lawyers as a: “Top Lawyer in South Florida” in the areas of personal injury and maritime in the South Florida Legal Guide (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007); “Legal Elite” in Florida Trend Magazine(top 1.7% of attorneys) (2006, 2007); and Superlawyer in the area of personal injury in Superlawyers.com (2006, 2007).

He is a Past President of the Dade County Bar Association (2003 – 2004), a Lifetime Member of the Florida Council of Bar Association Presidents, a Fellow and Lifetime Member of The Florida Bar Foundation, and a Sustaining Member of the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America).

Hickey was born in Miami and is conversant in Spanish. For the first 17 years of his career, he represented cruise lines, railroads, and other self-insured Defendants as well as insurance companies. Ten years ago, he made the transition to representing plaintiffs, and is a member of the Million Dollar Forum based on the cases in which he has obtained settlements or verdicts in excess of $1 Million. He started his career at Smathers & Thompson and went on to Hornsby & Whisenand, where he became a partner. In 1988, Hickey and The Honorable Gary R. Jones founded Hickey & Jones, P.A. In 1999, Judge Jones left and became a Federal Magistrate in the Middle District of Florida, and the firm changed its name to Hickey Law Firm, P.A.

• B.A., Florida State University (1976 magna cum laude), Phi Beta Kappa;
• J.D., Duke University (1980)
• Admitted to The Florida Bar: 1980
• Board Certified by The Florida Bar as a Civil Trial Lawyer (1990 – present)
• Admissions to Federal Courts: All three Federal District Courts in Florida: Southern (including the trial bar); Middle; and Northern; Federal Circuit Courts for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits; Supreme Court of the United States.
  
  

DADE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION :

• President ( 2003 - 2004)
• President- Elect (2002 - 2003)
• Vice President (2001 - 2002)
• Secretary (2000 - 2001)
• Treasurer (1999 - 2000)
• Executive Committee (1999 - 2004)
• Executive Committee (1991 - 1992)
• Board of Directors (Elected 1996 - 1999)
• Board of Directors (Elected 1990 - 1993)
• Chair , Membership Committee (2001 - 2002)
• Chair , Professional Arbitration Sub-Committee (1998 - 1999; 1995 - 1997; 1987 - 1990)
• Chair , Civil Litigation Committee (1992 - 1993)
• Chair , Banking and Corporate Litigation Committee (1991 - 1992)
• Chair , Commercial and Financial Transactions Litigation Committee (1990 -1992)
• Chair , Banking Law Committee (1990 - 1991)
• Recipient of Certificate of Merit “In Recognition and Appreciation for Outstanding and Constructive Service to The Bar, The Bench, and The Public” (1987; 1988; 1989; 1990; 1991; 1992 [two]; 1993 [two]; 2001 [two]; and 2002 [four])

DADE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION, YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION :

• Board of Directors (Elected 1984-1986)
• Executive Committee (1985-1986)
• Co-Chair, Luncheon and Speakers Committee (1985-1986)
• Chair, Sports Committee (1984-1985)
• Recipient of Certificate of Merit “In Recognition and Appreciation for Outstanding and Constructive Service to The Bar, The Bench, and The Public” (1985)

THE FLORIDA BAR :

• Member, Judicial Nominating Procedures Rules Committee (2005 to present)
• Chair , Admiralty Law Committee (2000-2001)
• Chair , 11 th Circuit Fee Arbitration Committee (1991-1993)
• Chair , Grievance Committee 11-L (1986-1989)
• Member, Grievance Committee 11-L (1996-1999)
• Member, Judicial Evaluation Committee (1983-1985)
• Board Certified as a Civil Trial Lawyer (1990-Present)
• Recipient of Certificate for “Meritorious Public Service in Recognition and Appreciation of Meritorious Service to the Public and the Legal Profession in Florida” (1989, 1999, and 2001)

FLORIDA COUNCIL OF BAR ASSOCIATION PRESIDENTS:

• Recipient of Certificate“In recognition of your dedicated leadership to the members of your legal community during your service as President” (2004)

OTHER BAR AND CIVIC ACTIVITIES:

• Cuban American Bar Association
• Florida Association for Women Lawyers

• Duke University Alumni Advisory Committee (Interviewing prospective undergraduates for Duke University; 1984-Present)

• Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Dade County, Florida, Committee of 100 (1998-Present)

• Board of Directors of the Marine Counsel (1997-1999)

• American Bar Association
• The Vizcayans
• American Association for Justice (formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America)
• Florida Justice Association (formerly the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers)
• Florida Admiralty Trial Lawyers Association
• Dade County Association for Justice (formerly the Dade County Trial Lawyers Association)
• 11 th Circuit Ad Hoc Trial Practices Committee (Appointed 1993-2001)
  
  

• Testified before Congress: March 27, 2007 Hickey was invited to testify before the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation on cruise line issues
• Lecturer: July 2007 American Association for Justice Annual Convention in Chicago before the Maritime Section on passenger claims against cruise lines
• Author: Paper on passenger claims against cruise lines to be presented at the July 2007 American Association for Justice Annual Convention in Chicago before the Maritime Section
• Presenter : “Masters of the Courtroom”, sponsored by the Dade County Trial Lawyers Association in conjunction with the University of Miami School of Law (October 2003)
• Author : “Evolving Standards of Jones Act Negligence”; paper prepared for lecture to be given at Association of Trial Lawyers of America Annual Convention at Atlanta, Georgia (July 2002)
• Lecturer : “Alternative Theories of Liability in Slip and Fall Cases” at the Association of Trial Lawyers of America Annual Convention, Montreal, Canada (August 2001)
• Author : “Slip and Falls: Alternative Theories of Liability”, TRIAL Magazine (April 2001)
• Author : “In Defense of the Stevedore”, P & I International (Winter 1996-1997)
• Lecturer : “Cruising in the 90s; Defense of Cruise Lines, Crew and Passenger Claims” The Florida Bar (1994; and preparation of paper in connection therewith)
• Lecturer : “Defending Flood Insurance Claims” at the National Flood Insurance Conferences at the invitation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Columbus, Ohio 1991; Scottsdale, Arizona 1992; Orlando, Florida 1993)
• Author : “Credit Agreements Required in Writing; the New Statute of Frauds in Florida”, The Florida Bar Journal (June 1990)
• Lecturer : “Securities Litigation” Florida Institute of CPAs (1990)
• Lecturer : “Securities Litigation” American Institute of CPAs in Blacksburg, Virginia (1990)
• Lecturer : “Securities Litigation” International Association of Financial Planners (1989)
• Lecturer : “The Mechanics of Court” at The Florida Bar Bridge the Gap Seminars (1983, 1984, and 1985)

MEDIA APPEARANCES:

• Interviewed on national television over 25 times from July, 2005 to present on subjects related to cruise ships. This includes shows on MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News
• Quoted in newspaper articles and magazines on subjects related to cruise ships