John S. Guttmann
Principal
vCard
- Class Actions
- Commercial Litigation
- Construction Litigation
- Corporate and Securities Litigation
- Environmental Litigation
- Toxic Tort and Product Liability
- Litigation
- University of Pennsylvania (B.A., cum laude, 1975)
- Cornell University (J.D., 1978)
- District of Columbia (1978)
- New York (1984)
- American Bar Association
From January 1990 until January 1996, Mr. Guttmann was the Managing
Principal of Beveridge & Diamond, P.C. In that capacity, he chaired the firm's Management Committee and served as the Chief Executive Officer of the business. During his tenure, the firm grew by approximately 50% and evolved into a national law firm of the type that is usually associated with larger institutions.
Mr. Guttmann was profiled in the December 1995 issue of The American Lawyer in an article entitled "Forty-Five Under Forty-Five — forty-five young lawyers who are making their mark today and will lead the profession tomorrow." Chambers USA 2004 listed Mr. Guttmann as one of the leading water quality litigators in the country. It described him as a "good strategic thinker" who is "well spoken and good on his feet" with a "mastery of detail."
Mr. Guttmann's practice has been devoted primarily to trial and appellate litigation in the commercial, securities and environmental areas. He currently serves as lead national counsel for a major petroleum refiner in all MTBE product liability litigation and is a member of the defense steering committee for the refining industry in those cases.
In September 1997, he was lead trial counsel in a class action in which a jury awarded the firm's clients $10 million, including punitive damages for health care fraud. He also recently served as lead litigator for a national developer in successfully defeating an attempt on environmental grounds to obtain a preliminary injunction that would have blocked a 2,200-acre planned community in Maryland.
Over many years he has litigated numerous securities class actions, breach of fiduciary duty claims, directors and officers liability suits, complex contract cases, unfair competition cases, and product liability and health insurance matters on behalf of the firm's corporate clients. He has represented public companies in several SEC enforcement matters.
Mr. Guttmann also has represented clients in defending tort claims related to alleged exposure to toxics. In the environmental area, he has served as lead counsel for clients in numerous cases arising under NEPA, RCRA, CERCLA, and the Clean Air Act. These matters have included cases pending in various federal trial and appellate courts, cases before the Department of Interior Board of Land Appeals, and administrative enforcement actions at EPA.
Mr. Guttmann's work outside the litigation context has focused on two areas. He has counseled clients concerning requirements arising under federal and state regulatory programs and has assisted in the development and evaluation of internal audit and compliance programs. In addition, Mr. Guttmann has been responsible for numerous environmental due diligence investigations undertaken by the firm. In connection with such projects, he has advised clients on the appropriate scope of representations, warranties, and indemnification provisions to include in particular transactions, and has focused on questions of corporate parent and corporate successor liability.
Mr. Guttmann served as law clerk for Judge Aubrey E. Robinson, Jr. of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia before joining the firm.
