Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) is delighted to announce the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients: Jennifer Gore-Cuthbert (’12), Antonio Lee (’14), and Vincent Phillips (’96). The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented to alumni who have obtained distinction in their professional careers. Those honored share the same characteristics of leadership, progressive thinking, high standards, uncompromising integrity, commitment, courage, and confidence. Their careers serve as models for Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School students and alumni. We will celebrate the 2024 honorees at the Alumni Awards Reception on Thursday, August 8, 2024. Click here to view past award recipients.
Congratulations!
Jennifer Gore-Cuthbert, Class of 2012
Jennifer Gore-Cuthbert is an accomplished attorney and the founder of Atlanta Personal Injury Law Group, a reputable personal injury firm with multiple locations throughout the Atlanta Metro. Jennifer and her team specialize in representing clients injured in auto accidents, trucking crashes, slip-and-fall incidents, wrongful death cases, and more. With a strong focus on maximizing case values and streamlining the legal process using technology and efficient communication, Atlanta Personal Injury Law Group has become known for its exceptional client service and results-driven approach.
Under Jennifer’s leadership, Atlanta Personal Injury Law Group has experienced exponential growth in cases, revenue, and employee size since its establishment in 2013. Jennifer’s dedication and expertise have also earned her numerous accolades, including Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2018-2024, Daily Report’s Award for Best Social Media, National Trial Lawyers Award for Best Social Media 2024, Avvo Clients’ Choice Award, the Avvo Top Personal Attorney Award, and The National Trial Lawyers’ Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Lawyers Award, among others. Most recently, her firm was recognized on the Inc 5000 list of Fastest Growing Companies in the US in 2022 and 2023. Jennifer also was one of the co-authors of the book “Tiger Tactics CEO Edition” published in 2023. She has appeared in many news articles include USA Today, as well as podcasts, and stages speaking about her entrepreneurial legal journey.
In addition to her legal work, Jennifer is committed to giving back to her community by supporting local events, sponsoring scholarships for college students, and donating to the Backpack Project, which provides backpacks and school supplies to students in need. Jennifer also coaches personal injury attorneys and business owners on topics such as personal injury law, practice management, and business marketing. She currently serves as the Past President of the Alumni Association at Atlanta’s John Marshall, where she works to reinvigorate the alumni community and support the school’s mission. She is also the President of Georgia Association for Women Lawyer’s Foundation, which focuses on philanthropy by women lawyers in Georgia for the benefit of the community as well as, scholarships for women law students in Georgia.
Antonio Lee, Class of 2014
Antonio Lee is an Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana at the U.S. Department of Justice. Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Lee was an Assistant State’s Attorney (ASA) at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, where he handled all aspects of defensive civil litigation for torts and civil rights cases in state, appellate, and federal court. Prior to his position as an ASA, Mr. Lee was selected into the prestigious U.S. Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) program, where he served as Attorney Advisor for then-Commissioner, now Chair Charlotte A. Burrows at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, dealing with complex employment discrimination issues on a national level. Through the PMF program, Mr. Lee also worked at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, and the U.S. Department of Justice – Community Relations Service.
Mr. Lee holds several local and national leadership positions while tutoring law students to successfully pass state bar examinations. He currently serves as Vice President of the Cook County Bar Association, Board Member-at-Large for the National Bar Association (NBA), Chair of the NBA’s LGBTQ Division, Chief-of-staff for NBA’s President-elect Wiley Adams, Lead Coordinator for NBA’s Economic Empowerment national programming, member of the General Assembly for the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), member of ISBA’s Young Lawyers Division Section Council, and member of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism’s Advisory Council to eliminate bullying in the legal profession.
Mr. Lee is a licensed attorney in Georgia, Illinois, and the District of Columbia. He graduated from Ball State University and Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, cum laude.
Vincent Phillips, Class of 1996
Recognized nationally as one of the most influential attorneys in entertainment and culture, Vincent “Vince” Phillips is a trailblazing attorney, music executive, prolific business strategist, genre-transforming global brand creator, and social anthropologist.
With a career spanning more than two decades, Atlanta-native Vince Phillips is a Founding Partner at Arrington and Phillips, LLP, specializing in entertainment law. Acknowledged as a Billboard Magazine “Top Music Lawyer” for several years, A Variety magazine Top Entertainment Lawyer and is considered a pioneer of the music and entertainment presence in Atlanta, Vince is one of the entertainment industry’s most accomplished and sought-after attorneys, representing artists and producing cultural phenomena that changed the landscape of urban and global music. He currently represents several chart-topping, recording artists, labels and award-winning film and television actors and executives.
Vince is considered a pioneer for the Atlanta entertainment industry. Vince was a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of BME Recordings, LLC, which he co-founded with multi-platinum, Grammy award-winning producer and artist Lil Jon. As one of the most successful independent hip hop record labels and publishers in America, BME created the “Crunk Music” sub-genre of hip hop that rocked and transformed a generation.
A graduate of Georgia State University and Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School in Atlanta, Vince is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the Georgia State Bar Association, and sits on the board of the Black Entertainment and Sports Association. He is tireless in his work to end youth exploitation and human sex trafficking; serves on the Board of Directors of youthSpark, a nonprofit organization providing support services, interventions, and public policy advocacy for victims of abuse; and Meals on Wheels Atlanta (MOWA). Vince also serves as a strategic advisor to Beloved Villages, a start-up social enterprise focused on building, scaling, and replicating the beloved community of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream.
Vince is an avid reader, father of two, and community servant with a passion for humanitarian and sustainability issues impacting the world.