Jon Mills, Boies Schiller Flexner. Courtesy photo

It is a special privilege for me to write in honor of Jon Mills' selection for the Lifetime Achievement Award. Jon has contributed to the development of Florida law in every imaginable capacity: as a legislator, a law professor and dean, a member of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission, an author and as a formidable litigator. The people in this state may not all know Jon Mills, but through decades of work he has made Florida better place to live for all of us.  

Jon obtained his J.D. from the University of Florida in 1972. From 1978 to 1988, Jon served in the Florida House of Representatives, the last two years as speaker. He introduced and drove to approval a constitutional amendment guaranteeing a right to privacy. As speaker, the Legislature passed legislation that improved Florida water quality and protected wetlands, as well as looking into the future with a high technology economic development act.

From 1999 to 2003, Jon served as dean of the Levin College of Law at the University of Florida, where he led a $22 million capital campaign to improve the law school and as director for governmental responsibility. Jon continues to teach new generations of lawyers as a professor.

Jon is an an influential author and is a globally recognized expert in the privacy field, where he  has written two books: “Privacy: The Lost Right” and “Privacy in the New Media Age.” Jon is also an important contributor on rule of law projects around the world, including opening two human rights centers at law schools in Colombia.  

Jon's work goes beyond teaching about the law; he has actively helped make Florida law at the highest level. Jon served on the state Constitution Revision Commission in 1996 and drafted the successful medical marijuana amendment voters passed in 2016. He also drafted the amendment restoring felon voting rights, which Florida voters approved in 2018 and is currently leading litigation to force Florida to implement the medical marijuana amendment as state voters intended, and is also currently working on behalf of an initiative to ban assault weapons in Florida.  

In court, Jon has handled issues involving presidential budget cutbacks, laws protecting victim's privacy, a governor's gaming compact with Indians, Florida reapportionment plans and proposed constitutional initiatives. Jon has also been counsel in high-profile litigation, including protecting privacy rights of the families of Dale Earnhardt, Gianni Versace, Dawn Brancheau (the trainer who died in an accident at SeaWorld) and others.

Since 2008, Jon has been counsel at Boies Schiller Flexner, where I have been privileged to work with Jon on a number of cases and to see firsthand his creativity as an attorney  and persuasiveness as an advocate. There is no more recognized or capable advocate on Florida constitutional law and privacy issues. (He is also a helluva golfer.)

For a lifetime of service to the rule of law, at home and abroad, and an unrelenting commitment to a constitution that protects all Floridians, Jon Mills is most deserving of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Stuart Singer is a Fort Lauderdale partner with Boies Schiller Flexner.