Phil Kinney was born in Portland, Maine on December 18, 1970. In 1973, his parents moved to Westbrook, Maine, where Philip attended public school from kindergarten through high school. His father, worked in the public works department for the city, and his mother worked at a local bank. In 1992, Philip enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Following boot camp in Orlando, he was sent to Fort Devins, Massachusetts and then to Naval Air Station, Pensacola for training in cryptology. He then served aboard the destroyer USS John Rogers (DD 983) which was based in Charleston, South Carolina. While on the destroyer, the ship completed major deployments to South America, the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean. During those deployments, Philip visited 26 countries, became a certified Shellback by crossing the equator, and earned the surface warfare qualification. In 1995, the ship was reassigned to Mayport Naval Station, Florida Phil has called Jacksonville home ever since.
In 1996, after four years of service, Phil received an honorable discharge. His first job after his enlistment was driving a garbage truck for B.F.I. in Jacksonville. He did this while attending classes full-time at Florida Community College of Jacksonville, taking classes in the evenings and weekends. In 1998, Phil received his Associate of Arts degree from FCCJ and then transferred to the University of North Florida. In 1999, he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in political science. In December 2003, Philip graduated from the University of Florida College of Law. He took the Florida Bar exam in February 2004 and passed on the first attempt.
Following graduation from law school, Phil returned to Jacksonville to begin his career as a litigation attorney. He started as an associate attorney working for larger firms, but his life long goal was to have his own law firm. In 2008, the dream became a reality and he started his own law firm. In 2017, he joined with Ben Moore, to form Kinney & Moore where they serve the greater Jacksonville in personal injury. The majority of Phil's cases involve auto and truck accidents in both state and federal court. He routinely takes cases against large corporations and insurance companies to fight for fair compensation for the injured victims.