Whit Johnson III was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in a doctor’s household.  Mr. Johnson has been licensed to practice in the State of Mississippi since 1979. He specializes in trial work, with the focus of his practice for his entire 45 year career being the defense of physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers from claims of medical negligence.  He has been recognized as the “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers in the field of Defendant’s Medical Malpractice law on five separate occasions, including 2011, 2014, 2019, 2021, and 2024.  He has also been named as one of the Top 50 attorneys in Mississippi on multiple occasions.

Mr. Johnson has been a frequent speaker to medical organizations and carriers, including the Mississippi State Medical Association, the Mississippi Medical and Surgical Association, Medical Assurance Company of Mississippi, as well as various departments and groups within the University of Mississippi Medical Center system.  He was the Keynote Speaker giving the Marshall Eskridge Lecture at the 2021 Southern Radiological Conference in Mobile, Alabama. He has also been published in the Journal of the Mississippi State Medical Association on both risk management and litigation issues.

Mr. Johnson’s wife, George, is retired from her job as the pre-school librarian at Jackson Academy. They are the proud parents of three grown children, all of whom are now off the payroll. Their primary hobby currently involves spoiling their three grandchildren, while trying to find places to go to spend their children’s inheritance. They have lived in Jackson since Mr. Johnson’s graduation from law school in 1979 and are actively involved as parishioners at St. Richard’s Catholic Church.

Memberships

  • The Mississippi Bar
  • Rankin County Bar Association
  • Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association
  • Fellow, Mississippi Bar Foundation

Recognitions

  • The Best Lawyers in America®
    • Medical Malpractice Law-Defendants
    • Specific Focus- Birth Trauma
    • Lawyer of the Year, Jackson, MS-Medical Malpractice Law-2011, 2014, 2019, 2021, 2024