Joseph Vaughn Jr., formerly a shareholder with Boyd & Jenerette, P.A. has recently formed his own firm, Joseph L. Vaughn Jr., P.A. Vaughn will now practice in wills, probate, estate trusts, elder law, guardianships, alternative dispute resolution, business law and church law.
Why did you decide to transition out of litigation and into a new field of practice?
“It is something I have considered for several years. I have always had an interest in other areas of the law and to be able to help people with different legal needs other than just litigation. I also have some political and judicial aspirations.”
Vaughn said he has had his eye on a possible political or judicial future for several years and being out on his own will allow him to better pursue those goals, but he said “nothing definite yet” as far as when he will begin a campaign.
Have you held any leadership positions with local organizations in the past?
“I was president of the Jacksonville Association of Defense Counsel last year. I am looking into joining other organizations regarding my new area of law.”
About “church law.” What does that entail and is there a lot of business in that field?
“Actually, churches do have some unique business considerations and issues that they deal with. Most all churches are set up as a non-profit from a business standpoint and there are issues regarding that. There are many special and unique business considerations regarding churches dealing with issues of the churches’ bylaws. While a lot of churches have many things in common, they all have many differences. There are also constitutional law issues relating to churches as religious institutions and being protected under the Constitution from governmental intrusion.”
How did you prepare yourself to go into a relatively new field of practice?
“I did a lot of self study and I have attended a lot of seminars on the areas. I also consulted with several attorneys in those areas of law. It has been fun and an interesting challenge to learn new areas of the law, though I have had some contact with these areas through the years on a smaller scale.”
Education
A native of Birmingham, Ala., Vaughn received all three of his degrees from Samford University. He has a B.S. degree in business accounting, an MBA and a J.D. from Samford’s Cumberland School of Law. Vaughn’s political aspirations might come from his senior year as president of Samford’s Student Government Association.
How did he get to Jacksonville?
Vaughn can thank his wife Jamie’s roots for his career in Jacksonville. He and Jamie met at Samford when Vaughn was in his first year of law school. She was from Jacksonville and was working on her undergraduate degree at the time. As the courtship grew, Vaughn looked for a clerkship position that summer in Jacksonville and found one with Boyd & Jenerette. The two went back to school that fall, got engaged and were married one week after he finished his second year of law school. After finishing school in 1989, Vaughn moved to Jacksonville where he took a position with the State Attorney’s office until he became an associate with Boyd & Jenerette in 1993.
Family
Wife Jamie and three children: Joseph, 13; Jordan, 11; and Jonathan, 7.
Hobbies?
White water rafting and other water sports, participating in Scouting activities with son Joseph and spending a lot of time with his family.
– by Kent Jennings-Brockwell