George James Felos (born March 1952) is an American lawyer specializing in
right-to-die
The right to die is a concept based on the opinion that human beings are entitled to end their life or undergo voluntary euthanasia. Possession of this right is often understood that a person with a terminal illness, incurable pain, or without ...
cases. He is best known for representing
Terri Schiavo
The Terri Schiavo case was a series of court and legislative actions in the United States from 1998 to 2005, regarding the care of Theresa Marie Schiavo (née Schindler) (; December 3, 1963 – March 31, 2005), a woman in an irreversible ...
's husband Michael.
Early life and education
Raised Greek-Orthodox, Felos graduated from
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
School of Law with a
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
in 1976. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1977.
Career
In 1990 he represented the family of Estelle Browning in an earlier right-to-die case at the Florida Supreme Court. Browning while still healthy had written a
living will
''Living Will'' is an American comedy film starring Ryan Dunn, Gerard Haitz and April Scott.
Cast
*Ryan Dunn - Belcher
*Gerard Haitz - Will
*April Scott - Krista
Production
In 2011, the domestic distribution rights to the film were purchased ...
asking not to be artificially kept alive, before having a serious
stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
, which had left her in a nursing home reliant on a feeding tube for nearly 3 years; a judge had prevented the will being enacted, but Felos litigated the case even after Browning's death in 1989. In 1990 in a "landmark ruling" the Florida Supreme Court decided in Browning's favor, ruling that the permanently incapacitated need not be force-fed.
His conduct in the Schiavo case caused controversy, because he had Terry Schiavo moved to the Suncoast Hospice, Florida, where until recently he had been chairman of the board.
He is also the author of ''Litigation as Spiritual Practice'' (Blue Dolphin Publishing), which combined discussion of legal practice with spiritual reflections on meditation and new-age religious beliefs.
References
External links
Publisher's page for Litigation as Spiritual Practice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Felos, George
Florida lawyers
Terri Schiavo case
Living people
1952 births
21st-century American lawyers