Jonathan A. McGowan, esq.
BIO
Jon McGowan studied law as a second career after 16 years in business and government affairs. His experience brings a depth of knowledge on a wide array of issues. He has served on various boards with the City of Jacksonville, Florida, US, and has received multiple awards for his volunteer efforts in the community. In 2020, he was appointed as a Fellow at the European Law Institute in Vienna, Austria, where he serves on the Members Consultative Committee for multiple projects. He graduated from Florida State University College of Law in April 2021. In furthering his studies, he has been accepted into the #2 ranked Global Executive MBA program at the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai. His primary areas of practice are transactional business law and administrative law.
EDUCATION
- China Europe International Business School (CEIBS)
Global Executive MBA candidate, July 2025 - Florida State University College of Law, Juris Doctor, April 2021
Certificate in Environmental, Natural Resources, and Land Use Law, April 2021
University of Iowa College of Law, London Law Program, January 2020
Oxford University, FSU Summer Program in Law, Summer 2019 - University of Florida, Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, December 2006
- Florida Community College of Jacksonville, Associate of Arts, December 2000
AFFILIATIONS
- European Law Institute
- The Federalist Society
- American Bar Association
Rule of Law Initiative, Liaison, 2022 – 2023 - Jacksonville Bar Association
Government Relations Committee, Chair, 2022 – 2023 - The Florida Bar
Governmental and Public Policy Advocacy Committee, 2022 – 2024 - The First District Appellate American Inn of Court, 2019 – 2021
- National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, 2019 – 2021
PUBLIC SERVICE
- Jacksonville Housing Authority, 2019 – 2021
Chair, 2020 – 2021, Vice-Chair 2019 – 2020 - Duval County Elections Advisory Panel, 2017 – 2020
Chair, 2019 – 2020, Vice-Chair 2018 – 2019 - Duval County Taxation, Revenue, Utilization and Expenditures Commission 2018 – 2019
BAR ADMISSIONS
- Florida Bar, 2021
- United States District Court, Middle District of Florida, 2021
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
- The Trouble With Tibble: Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Fiduciary Duty,The University of Chicago Business Law Review, Online Edition, 2022
- Medical Marijuana Permits and Concealed Weapons Permits: When One Right Impacts Another, Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy: Per Curiam, 2022
- Florida’s Constitution: 1812 – Present, For Lawyers Publishing, 2022. Second Edition 2023
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
- Legal Developments in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Regulation, Presentation to the American Bar Association 2023 Mid-Year Conference, New Orleans, LA, February 2023
- Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Fiduciary Duty, Presentation to the International Conference on European Company Law and Corporate Governance, Zagreb, Croatia, November 2022
- The Decline of Judicial Independence in Europe: Is the US on the Same Path?, Presentation to the American Bar Association International Law Conference, Washington, D.C., April 2022