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Mr. Rufus Pennington, III is an experienced and seasoned board-certified civil trial attorney, who has served as trial counsel in litigation throughout our country’s state and Federal courts for more than 30 years. He has represented clients in a wide variety of cases, from local pro bono matters to U.S. Supreme Court proceedings.

Highly honored, Mr. Pennington keeps pro bono work as an integral part of his practice, devoting hours each week to those who need legal help but cannot afford to hire a lawyer. His pro bono work has covered environmental issues, government and educational entities, and other various community groups. He even represented the organized plaintiff’s trial bar as amicus curiae before the U.S. Supreme Court in two cases regarding restrictions on lawyer advertising and solicitation.

Rufus can be reached at his email address: crp@cokerlaw.com, at rufus@rufuspennington.com or through his personal page.

Additional Information

  • Areas of Practice
    • Medical Malpractice
    • Professional Malpractice
    • Personal Injury
    • Wrongful Death
  • Personal
    • Born: November 18, 1955 in Tallahassee, FL
  • Education
    • Duke University
      • Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, 1978
    • University of Florida
      • Juris Doctor, with honors, 1981
  • University Honors and Activities:
    • Editor, University of Florida Levin College of Law Law Review, 1981-1981
  • Certifications
    • Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education (certified 1990, recertified in 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015)
  • Bar Admissions
    • Florida
    • United States Supreme Court
    • 11th Circuit Court of Appeals
    • D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals
    • U.S. Court of Federal Claims
    • United States District Courts for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Florida
  • Professional Honors, Activities and Affiliations
    • Florida Bar Association
    • Jacksonville Bar Association
    • Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers (Florida State Chair, 2009-11; Regent, 2013-current)
    • Fellow, International Academy of Trial Lawyers
    • Fellow, International Society of Barristers
    • Fellow, American Board of Trial Advocates
    • Martindale Hubble A/V Rated
    • Named to Best Lawyers in America (2019 Jacksonville Personal Injury Litigation, 2012 & 2016 Jacksonville Medical Malpractice Law Plaintiff’s Lawyer of the Year)
    • Florida Trend Legal Elite
    • Florida Super Lawyers

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" The law is not just a business – it is a profession; our calling as lawyers is ultimately to public service. Although I have had the good fortune to represent corporations and insurance companies, most of my practice has been devoted to the representation of individuals – ordinary people confronting very serious, sometimes seemingly insurmountable, problems. I have learned something from every one of them, including – I hope – a sense of humility that is reflected in the courtroom. "
Rufus Pennington