John's practice focuses on business and commercial litigation, pharmaceutical, medical device and mass tort litigation, and construction law.  John successfully litigates cases in federal and state courts across the nation.  His background also includes defending catastrophic injury claims in premises liability, vehicle accident and other personal injury litigation.  John has over 24 years of trial and appellate experience.  Additionally, John has extensive experience with all types of ADR proceedings.  John served as the President of the Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys in 2010.

Miami University(B.A., 1983)University of Cincinnati College of Law(J.D., 1988)

Life SciencePharmaceutical, Medical Device & Mass Tort LitigationLitigationComplex Business LitigationConstruction LitigationGovernance Disputes & D&O LitigationProduct LiabilityReal EstateConstruction

• Business Litigation
• Contract and Commercial Litigation
• Product Liability Litigation
• Construction Law
• Architect/Engineer Defense
• General Liability Defense
• Personal Injury Litigation

• Extensive experience as lead trial counsel in complex business and commercial litigation.
• Extensive experience in defending personal injury claims relating to drugs, medical devices and other products.
• Extensive experience in architect and engineer liability and construction law.
• Extensive experience in defending catastrophic injury claims with emphasis in premises liability, vehicle accident and other personal injury litigation.
• Extensive trial and appellate experience with emphasis on the above areas of concentration.

Five Star Financial Corporation v. Merchants Bank & Trust Company (2011), 192 Ohio App. 3d 544, 2011-Ohio-314

Columbia Gas of Ohio, Inc. v. Columbus Asphalt Paving, Inc. (2005), 142 Ohio Misc. 2d 88, 2005 Ohio- 7163

Jurgens Real Estate Co. v. R.E.D. Const. Corp. (1995), 103 Ohio App. 3d 292

Stanton v. Miller (1990), 66 Ohio App. 3d 201

AV Preeminent – Martindale-Hubbell 

Named to the Ohio Super Lawyers list (2007-2013)

Exceptional Performance Citation – Defense Research Institute (2010)

President's Award – Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys (2010)

Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America

Presentations
"Legal and Ethical Issues in the Construction Industry – Managing and Receiving Top Value for Legal Services," Construction Leaders of Tomorrow 2012 (May 2012)

"The Challenge of Leadership," DRI Central Region Meeting (April 2010)

"IRS Governance Policies for Nonprofits," DRI Central and Mid-Atlantic Region Meeting (May 2009)

"What Can DRI Do For Your SLDOs?" DRI Central Region Meeting (April 2008)

"Minimizing Engineering Liability Exposure: Understanding Ohio Liability Law," HalfMoon Seminars (December 2007)

"Trying the Negligence Case Under Tort Reform," Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys Meeting (1998)

"OHIO TORT REFORM: A Summary of House Bill 350," (1997)

"Update on Status of Those Injured Upon Premises," Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys Meeting (1996)

"Construction Defect Litigation" (1995)

Publications
"Cincinnati Changes Bidding Requirements Concerning Sewer District, Storm Water, and Water Works Construction Projects," Ulmer & Berne LLP, Client Alert (May 2013)

“Five Points to Consider When Leasing Construction Equipment,” ACC Lexology (June 2012)

“Ohio Authorizes Construction Manager At Risk Standard Requirements For Public Facility Construction," The Update, by the Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys (Spring 2012) 

"Defending Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Claims," Deliberations, Vol. V., Issue 1

"Reform Act Clarifies Product Liability Actions," The Greater Cincinnati Business Record, Vol. II, No. 41

Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys (Member, Past President and Past Member of the Board of Trustees)

Ohio State Bar Association

Kentucky Bar Association

Cincinnati Bar Association (Member and Past Chair of Construction Law Committee; Member of Tort and Insurance Law Committee)

Northern Kentucky Bar Association

Allied Construction Industries (Member, Membership Committee)

ProKids of Hamilton County (Member, Board of Trustees)

Defense Research Institute

Cincinnati Academy of Leadership for Lawyers Fellow

National Institute of Trial Advocacy Graduate

Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas (Mediator)

State of Ohio

Commonwealth of Kentucky

U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit

U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio

U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky

U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas

United States Supreme Court