The Jacksonville Bar Association is facing serious allegations of financial mismanagement, false reporting, and governance failures in a new internal report targeting its long-time former executive director, Craig Shoup, that was obtained by Action News Jax Ben Becker.
How we got here
Jon McGowan, an attorney with The McGowan Law Firm in Jacksonville Beach, stepped into the interim role as executive director in late September 2025 following the sudden departure of Shoup, who had accepted a position with the City of Jacksonville in October, but shortly afterwards saw that offer rescinded by the mayor’s office. However, what began as a two-month transition period for McGowan quickly evolved into something far more complex that he detailed in a 26-page written report to the JBA Board of Governors on March 31. The word “false” appears in the report 19 times…