American lawyer and radio talk show host
James Michael Papantonio (born October 24, 1953) is an American torts lawyer, television presenter, radio talk show host and writer. He has been inducted into the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame.[1]
As a trial lawyer, Papantonio co-hosts Ring of Fire, a nationally syndicated progressive weekly radio program, with Farron Cousins, where he is referenced as America's Lawyer.[2][3] In December 2016, Papantonio began hosting a program on YouTube called America's Lawyer.[4]
Education
Papantonio graduated from DeSoto County High School, Arcadia, Florida.[1] He subsequently graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in advertising, and received his J.D. from Cumberland School of Law. He was admitted to The Florida Bar in 1982 and the bar of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida in 1983.
Law career
Papantonio is a senior partner in the Pensacola, Florida-based Levin Papantonio Law Firm, a mass torts firm.[5][6] Within the lawyer community, Mike Papantonio is known for his work in mass torts, product liability, personal injury, and wrongful death cases, and has returned numerous verdicts of multi-million dollar damages.[3][7]
He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since 1999,[7] and has written several books, including the legal thriller Law and Disorder; Resurrecting Aesop: Fables Lawyers Should Remember; Clarence Darrow, the Journeyman; and In Search of Atticus Finch, A Motivational Book for Lawyers, as well as Defenses You Can Count on in an Asbestosis Case and How to Prove a Sick Building Case. He also co-authored Closing Arguments–The Last Battle with Fred Levin.[8]
In 2004, Papantonio helped launch a nationwide organization called Mass Torts Made Perfect, an organization for injury attorneys.[9]
Radio and video broadcasting
The radio broadcast Ring of Fire began in 2004 and was syndicated by the now defunct Air America Radio until January 2010. Papantonio was also involved at Air America as a member of the Board of Directors, and as a co-contributor to the New York Times bestseller, Air America, the Playbook, a collection of essays, transcripts, and interviews by network personalities released in the run-up to the 2006 congressional elections.[10] Papantonio has appeared regularly as a contributor on Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN.
His role on Ring of Fire was featured in the 2006 documentary Jesus Camp, in which he offers commentary on many of the scenes depicted.[3][11] According to DVD commentary by the film's directors, Papantonio was added to the film later on because they felt there wasn't any "tension" in it, and they wanted another viewpoint.[12]
On the weekly show America's Lawyer, Papantonio, a Methodist, often criticizes the Christian right. He has said that "I come from a pretty strong spiritual center, but it doesn't change the way I judge people. Simply put, the Sermon on the Mount makes much more sense to me than the frenzied rantings of America's new 'religious right'. They have become an element of American politics that threatens our sense of decency as well as our democracy." Papantonio has called Republican politicians "an entire collection of ass clowns."[1]
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