Biography

With over 40 years of experience, John has tried more than 100 civil and criminal cases.

John has had an active criminal and civil trial practice for more than 40 years, and has tried to verdict more than 100 civil and criminal cases, including many environmental cases. John’s environmental litigation experience includes toxic tort, CERCLA and state law cost recovery, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Superfund enforcement, and environmental insurance coverage cases, as well as non-environmental complex litigation in federal and state courts.

Before entering private practice in 1984, John spent ten years with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). He served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of Civil Litigation in the United States Attorney’s Office in San Francisco, and as a trial attorney in the Criminal and Civil Divisions of DOJ in Washington, DC.

In addition to his trial practice, John’s professional experience and expertise include:

  • Co-authoring Environmental Litigation, Bancroft-Whitney’s California Civil Practice Guide on environmental law
  • Lecturing at Environmental Law Institute conferences
  • Serving the federal courts in providing arbitration, mediation, early neutral evaluation, and other forms of ADR to litigants in federal court
  • Representing White House, cabinet, and cabinet-level officers in constitutional and national security litigation
  • Providing environmental dispute resolution and conducting mediation services

Education

  • San Jose State University  (B.A., cum laude, 1968)
    • Political Science
  • Golden Gate University  (J.D., cum laude, 1974)

Bar Admissions

  • California

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals - Third Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals – Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals - Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals - D.C. Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals - Federal Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims
  • California Supreme Court
  • U.S. District Court – Southern District of California
  • U.S. District Court - Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court – Eastern District of California
  • U.S. District Court – Northern District of California

Professional Affiliations

  • National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel
  • American Bar Association
  • Federal Bar Association
  • American Trial Lawyers Association
  • State Bar of California
  • Bar Association of San Francisco
  • Defense Research Institute

Honors & Awards

  • Best Lawyers®, San Francisco Lawyer of the Year, Environmental Litigation (2016), Environmental Law (2012)
  • Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters, California Super Lawyers (2004-2024)
  • Bay Area Lawyer, recognized as one of the Bay Area’s top environmental lawyers
  • Lexology, Who’s Who Legal