James T. Bailey Jr. is an attorney with Milton, Leach, Whitman, D’Andrea, Charek & Milton. He is no relation to Daily Record publisher James F. Bailey Jr. , but his father works for the Florida Times-Union.
HOW LONG HAS HE BEEN WITH THE FIRM?
Approximately one year.
WHAT TYPE OF LAW DOES HE PRACTICE?
“I mainly work with our railroad defense unit. We represent CSX in their personal injury cases. [Joseph] Milton, the head partner, has been doing work for CSX for 30 years, I believe. I do work with Josh Whitman, the partner here who works on the plaintiff side. Medical malpractice is primarily what we work on. I also do a little admiralty work, mostly defense.”
WHO ARE HIS
PLAINTIFF CLIENTS?
“Doctors, car manufacturers, drivers or insurance companies. Since CSX is self-insured there’s not that conflict of interest.”
DIE-HARD SEMINOLE FAN
Bailey has three degrees — political science, Spanish and law — from Florida State University. He strives to attend all of the school’s football games.
FOG AND MIRRORS
“For a long time, my perceptions [of the legal profession] were colored by the media. I saw it as being an exciting career. I thought it would be a challenge to get up in front of open court. As you go through law school then enter the practice, you realize media perceptions are skewed. Yes, people go to trial, but 98 percent of cases settle.”
WHY GO TO LAW SCHOOL?
“I seemed predestined to be a lawyer. Since I was five or six my grandmother would call me ‘your honor,’ like a judge. That may sound a little creepy but because of the way I handled myself around adults, I guess I was precocious enough. Plus, I think the field is rewarding intellectually, financially and socially — by that I mean you can do a lot for the community.”
SOAPBOX
“Lawyers get a bum rap. The stereotype of the shark attorney is grossly overplayed. That stereotype is spoiling it for the rest of us. Everyone contributes to society through pro bono and civic organizations but I don’t think it gets noticed. Attorneys do more than just sue people.”
FRESH FACE
“When I started college, I had the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship. I was going to graduate at 20. I decided to take another semester and get the credits for a degree in Spanish. If I went right to law school and graduated at 23, I wouldn’t have been taken seriously. I took four years in high school and did well with it. I went ahead with learning the Spanish language in the hopes that it would help me down the road in my legal career.”
HOW WILL SPANISH HELP HIS PRACTICE?
“I believe that statistics show Hispanics to be the biggest minority by 2020. Living in Florida, with perhaps one of the largest Hispanic populations, I thought it was probably the best degree.”
BORN
Orange Park.
WHERE ELSE HAS
HE WORKED?
His first year after law school, Bailey worked at Smith, Clark, Delesie, Bierley, Mueller & Kadyk in Tampa.
WHAT BROUGHT HIM BACK TO JACKSONVILLE?
“This position offered a more diverse legal experience. Firms can get pigeon-holed but here I’m able to practice both plaintiff and defense work. Being a young lawyer, you may not have as much credibility because you haven’t been through things. Everyone here is open about accepting ideas. Here, I work with every partner in the firm.”
TO WHAT GROUPS DOES HE BELONG?
Bailey is a member of the American and Jacksonville Bar associations. He also belongs to the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel. As far as outside interests, Bailey enjoys reading, playing basketball and tennis and frequenting bb’s.
— by Monica Tsai