John practices with the firm’s Commercial Litigation and Public Utilities groups and concentrates his practice in the areas of business torts and other commercial disputes, intellectual property litigation, and public utility representation.
Overview
John practices with the firm’s Commercial Litigation and Public Utilities groups and concentrates his practice in the areas of business torts and other commercial disputes, intellectual property litigation, and public utility representation.
Practice Areas
Experience
- Represented sellers in post-closing dispute against private equity buyer regarding buyer’s post-closing mismanagement of operating capital, including multiple related lawsuits and bankruptcies in multiple jurisdictions, resolved favorably to sellers through discounted repurchase
- Represented largest US regulated water utility company’s subsidiary in general rate case before the Tennessee Public Utility Commission, obtaining rate increase
- Represented 10th largest investor-owned water and wastewater utility subsidiary in general rate case before the Tennessee Public Utility Commission, obtaining requested rate increase
- Regularly representing S&P 500 bank in trust management guidance and disputes in accounts in the $5M-$300M total asset value range
- Regularly representing large state university in trademark disputes before state and federal courts and the US Patent & Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial & Appeals Board
- Represented one of the country’s largest farm-raised catfish producer/processers in packing weight dispute, resolved favorably through settlement (and garnering sanctions against plaintiff for discovery violations)
- Represented large-scale automated conveyor design/build company in multiple construction and payment disputes
- Represented top producers in health insurance agency trade secrets and unfair competition dispute, resolved favorably to client group through separation from former owner
- Represented large orthopedic practice in multiple cybersecurity and insurance disputes following ransomware attack
- Represented original inventor in patent dispute over former employee’s subsequent design patent
- Represented global industrial equipment manufacturer in warehouse lease dispute, resulting in favorable lease extension
- Represented global insurance company in declaratory judgment action by other insurer regarding casualty coverage for fatal workplace accident
- Represented large heavy equipment parts manufacturer in trade secrets prosecution against departed employee and competitor in parallel lawsuits, resolved through noncompetition and monetary consideration provided to client
- Second-chaired trade secrets and unfair competition jury trial that was sent to the jury and resolved during deliberations.
- Summary judgment granted to client financial institution on alleged liability for forged signatures.
- Defense verdict and award of attorneys’ fees on counterclaim in one-day bench trial in breach of contract case.
- AAA arbitration in which arbitrator found for lender on attorneys’ fees counterclaim and against claimant in demand for payment of $750,000 “lost” loan proceeds.
- Summary judgment granted in suit on personal guaranty and dismissing counterclaims, affirmed on appeal.
- Telephone Consumer Protection Act case, denying motion to remand and motion for leave to amend to plead damages less than jurisdictional amount as bad faith attempt to manipulate forum.
- Summary judgment granted in slip-and-fall case.
- Summary judgment, affirmed on appeal, in premises liability/toxic exposure case.
- Judgment on the pleadings granted to defendant banks and mortgage servicers in wrongful foreclosure case.
Distinctions
- Martindale-Hubbell®
- AV®- Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated, 2014-2025
- Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers®
- Mid-South Rising Star, Business Litigation, 2015-2020
- BL Rankings, The Best Lawyers in America®
- Ones to Watch, Commercial Litigation, 2021-2025
- Ones to Watch, Financial Services Regulation Law, 2021-2025
- Top 50 Under 40, Mississippi Business Journal, 2021
- Leadership Forum, Mississippi Bar, 2016
- Outstanding Service Award, Jackson Young Lawyers, 2014
Bar Admissions
- Tennessee, 2022
- Mississippi, 2010
- U.S. District Courts
- Michigan: Eastern
- Mississippi: Southern, Northern
- Tennessee: Western, Middle, Eastern
- U.S. Court of Appeals
- 5th Circuit
Education
- Mississippi College, J.D., summa cum laude, 2010
- Articles Editor, Mississippi College Law Review
- Moot Court Board
- Am Jur Awards in 12 legal areas
- Internship, Federal District Judge Daniel P. Jordan, III, Southern District of Mississippi
- Internship, Federal Magistrate Judge James C. Sumner, Southern District of Mississippi
- Mississippi State University, B.S., Psychology, magna cum laude, 2005
Associations
- American Bar Association
- YLD Local Affiliate Designee, 2016
- Mississippi Bar Association
- Professionalism Committee
- Public Information Committee, 2017
- Jackson Young Lawyers
- President, 2016-2017
- Defense Research Institute (DRI)
- 2026 Business Litigation and IP Superconference Planning Committee
- Seminar Planning Committee
- Chair, 2021
- Young Lawyers Steering Committee
- Development Education Subcommittee
- Webcast Subcommittee
- Activities Subcommittee
- Capital Area Bar Association
- Board Member, 2015-2017
- Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project
- Advisory Board Member
- Association of Certified E-Discovery Specialists (ACEDS)
Papers, Presentations & Publications
- Moderator, “Technology and Ethical Issues in the Practice of Law,” Tennessee Bar Association IP Law Blast CLE, April 2022.
- Author, “E-Discovery: Obtaining Electronically Stored Information,” Mississippi Practice Series, Mississippi Civil Procedure, Vol. 1, 2021.
- Co-Presenter, “Commercial Litigation/Contract Disputes,” CPA Industry Conference, October 2019.
- Presenter, “Effective Utilization of Technology, New Lawyer CLE Program,” September 2017.
- Author, “Fast Pitch: Young Lawyers Hone Business Development Skills at Seminar,” DRI For the Defense, August 2017.
- Presenter, “Practicing Attorneys Panel,” E-Discovery CLE, January 2017.
- Moderator, “Ethics in E-Discovery: Practical Considerations, A Panel Discussion,” Electronic Discovery: Recent Developments & Trends CLE, September 2016.
- Co-Author, “Alabama No Longer An Outlier State: Legislature says ‘No’ to Innovator Liability” Pro Te: Solutio, Vol. 8 No. 3, December 2015.
- Presenter, “Finding Leverage in the Weeds: A Guide to E-Discovery,” Eaton Corporation E-Discovery CLE, November 2015.
- Presenter, “Electronic Discovery: Recent Developments & Trends,” October 2015.
- Presenter, “The Rules of Evidence: A Practical Toolkit,” National Business Institute, September 2015.
- Presenter, “eDiscovery: A Refresher,” Volunteer Lawyers CLE Seminar, July 2015.
- Panelist, “Ethics in eDiscovery: Practical Perspectives,” E-Discovery CLE Program, October 2014.
- Presenter, "A Primer on E-Discovery," CLE Seminar, October 2014.
- Presenter, “eDiscovery: Start to Finish,” Volunteer Lawyers CLE Seminar, July 2014.
- Author, "Finding Leverage in the Weeds: A Guide to E-Discovery," The Mississippi Lawyer, Vol. LX, No. 1, Fall 2013.
- Author, "Document Retention and Destruction," Lorman Education Services, 2013.
- Author, "Everything You Don't Know About E-Discovery (But Wish You Did)," National Business Institute, May 2013.
- Author, "Find it Free and Fast on the Net: Strategies for Legal Research on the Web," National Business Institute, May 2013.
- Author, "Applying the Rules of Evidence: What Every Attorney Needs to Know," National Business Institute, March 2013.
- Mississippi Section, The Collateral Source Rule: A Compendium of State Law, Defense Research Institute, 2012.
- Author, "Court Holds that RESPA Anit-Kickback Provision Prohibits Only Split-Fee Transactions," DRI Today, May 2012.
- Author, "Lawsuits Challenging the 2010 Healthcare Reform Legislation," Pro Te: Solutio, Vol. 4 No. 1, Feb. 2011.
- Author, "Consistency in the Courts: Settled Law and Recent Updates on Judicial Estoppel and Election of Remedies," MDLA Quarterly, Winter 2010.
- Author, "Effect of Judicial Estoppel on Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Claim – What Every Defense Lawyer Needs to Know," Southern Law Network, October 2010.