AREAS OF PRACTICE
John’s practice is focused on finding creative and effective solutions to achieve his clients’ objectives. Drawing on over 20 years of legal experience, including serving as General Counsel of a publicly-traded company and partner in a large international law firm, John is able to quickly identify critical risks faced by his clients and then develop and execute plans to achieve a favorable resolution.
John serves as outside general counsel and trusted legal advisor to numerous entities in the insurance, retail, and investment industries, among others. As a testament to his capabilities, John counts among his clients several senior executives and co-workers from his former company, and he routinely receives referrals from former colleagues at large law firms.
Prior to going in-house, John’s practice focused on litigation, where he gained first and second chair trial experience in a variety of complex commercial matters, including contract, employment, product liability, intellectual property and other matters. While in-house, John guided his company through several large M&A transactions, debt financings, and high-stakes litigation matters. John also served as Chief Compliance Officer charged with maintaining compliance with securities laws, privacy and data security laws, and insurance regulations.
With this range of experience, John advises clients on all types of legal matters, including litigation, contracts, employment, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, and regulatory matters.
Prior to his career in law, John served in the U.S. Navy as a surface warfare officer. John is active with groups serving veterans and serves as a Blue and Gold Officer liaison with candidates seeking appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. John lives in Naperville with his wife, Julie.
John serves as outside general counsel and trusted legal advisor to numerous entities in the insurance, retail, and investment industries, among others. As a testament to his capabilities, John counts among his clients several senior executives and co-workers from his former company, and he routinely receives referrals from former colleagues at large law firms.
Prior to going in-house, John’s practice focused on litigation, where he gained first and second chair trial experience in a variety of complex commercial matters, including contract, employment, product liability, intellectual property and other matters. While in-house, John guided his company through several large M&A transactions, debt financings, and high-stakes litigation matters. John also served as Chief Compliance Officer charged with maintaining compliance with securities laws, privacy and data security laws, and insurance regulations.
With this range of experience, John advises clients on all types of legal matters, including litigation, contracts, employment, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, and regulatory matters.
Prior to his career in law, John served in the U.S. Navy as a surface warfare officer. John is active with groups serving veterans and serves as a Blue and Gold Officer liaison with candidates seeking appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. John lives in Naperville with his wife, Julie.
bar admissions
- Illinois
- Northern District Illinois, Trial Bar
- Central District Illinois
- Seventh Circuit
speaking engagements
- Recurring Panelist 2016 - 2023, Rule 12 Motions and Pre-Trial Procedure, Annual Federal Court Boot Camp: The Nuts and Bolts (Pincus Professional Education)
- Panelist 2020, 10th Annual Circuit Court Boot Camp I: The Nuts and Bolts from Filing Your Complaint to Discovery and Depositions (IL) (Pincus Professional Education)
- Speaker, Boilerplate Checkup: Lurking Litigation Issues in Your Commercial Contracts, North Shore General Counsel Association, May 10, 2016
- Panelist, Management and Leadership of New Attorneys, Eleventh Hour PRMCLE, DuPage County Bar Association, May 20, 2016
- Panelist, Procuring and Producing Electronically Stored Information and Investigating and Gathering Evidence from Challenging Sources, Advanced Litigation Strategies, November 10, 2016 (Pincus Professional Education)
- Speaker, A Checklist Manifesto for Preparing or Responding to Litigation, Property and Casualty Insurers Association of America - Litigation and Governmental Affairs Committee Annual Meeting, June 22, 2017
publications
- Privilege Concerns Over Disclosures to Independent Auditors, Securities Law 360, 11/10/2006
- Expanding the Tri-Partite Relationship: Extending Evidentiary Privilege to Fourth-Party Legal Audits, 2000 U. Ill. L. Rev. 1339
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS
- Illinois State Bar Association
- DuPage County Bar Association
- North Shore General Counsel’s Association, Emeritus Member
- U.S. Naval Academy Blue and Gold Officer
- DuPage County Veteran’s Court Mentor
EDUCATION
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, J.D.
United States Naval Academy, B.S.
United States Naval Academy, B.S.
