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Overview

Business owners and management teams nationwide that want to franchise thriving concepts look to John—as do companies that need skilled M&A counsel.

Pairing his legal acumen with deep accounting and business know-how, John partners with clients to help them find the right solutions to grow or expand their core business or affiliated concepts.

And he does it in a practical, low-key way. John prides himself on being an accessible business partner to clients. He takes a pragmatic approach to helping them think through their business objectives and minimize risks.

John’s significant accounting background includes being a CPA and working with Arthur Andersen as a tax manager prior to joining Husch Blackwell. His understanding of financial accounting concepts and economic models behind building and valuing a business give him key insights in working with all types of companies. In addition, John’s prior experience as part of the in-house legal team at Aquila provide him a unique perspective on the issues that corporate counsel often face.

Industries

Services

Recognition

  • The Best Lawyers in America®
    • Corporate Law, 2024 and 2025
    • Franchise Law, 2023-2025
    • Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 2025
  • BTI Consulting Group, Client Service All Star Award, 2014, Client Choice Award, 2016
  • FranchiseTimes, Legal Eagles, 2022
  • Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers, Mergers & Acquisitions, Rising Star, 2008
  • Missouri Bar Pro Bono Wall of Fame, 2019

Education

  • J.D., University of Missouri School of Law
  • B.S., University of Missouri
    • Accounting
    • summa cum laude

Admissions

  • Missouri
  • Kansas
  • North Dakota

Professional Memberships and Certifications

  • Association for Corporate Growth, Kansas City Chapter, Board Secretary
  • American Association of Attorneys-Certified Public Accountants
  • American Bar Association, Forum on Franchising
  • International Franchise Association
  • Kansas Bar Association
  • The Missouri Bar
2024 Pro Bono Contributor
Featured Experience

Home Instead Expands to 1,500 Franchisees

As a startup franchisor in the late 1990s, Home Instead Senior Care sought to define its business concept and develop a franchising strategy. John and the rest of the Husch Blackwell team advised Home Instead on those and other business decisions, helping the provider of nonmedical in-home care for seniors successfully grow to include 1,500 franchisees in 15 countries.


Additional Experience

Franchising

  • Completed numerous franchise and distribution growth initiatives, including advising on franchise system structures, engaging franchise brokers and preparing franchise disclosure documents, franchise agreements and area development agreements
  • Restructured numerous franchise concepts and negotiated changes to relationships with franchisees, investors and consultants.
  • Counseled publicly held franchise company on acquisitions of various franchise territories in excess of $280 million.
  • Advised more than 20 different restaurant concepts on various stages of developing and maintaining franchise concepts.
  • Assisted private investment group in acquiring 100+ fast-food franchise locations in North Carolina and Florida from a family-owned business.
  • Completed development and sale of franchise concept with over 200 franchise locations by providing advice from franchise start-up through sale transaction.

Mergers & Acquitisitions

  • Represented publicly held manufacturing company in series of acquisitions and joint ventures of more than $1 billion.
  • Provided acquisition and due diligence support for publicly traded Canadian company in the purchase of U.S.-based franchise system to expand U.S. territory.
  • Represented seller of a national accounting firm.
  • Completed numerous acquisitions for large engineering and consulting firm in its multi tiered acquisition strategy across different business lines.
  • Managed and negotiated more than $1 billion in acquisitions and related financings in the energy industry as member of in-house legal team for Aquila.
  • Represented biomedical research data management company in the sale of its business to a larger company, which allowed the client an opportunity to grow into a new market segment.
  • Represented client in the sale of its franchise fitness business. The selling shareholders of the client were doing a rollover into equity of the purchaser as part of the sale. The Husch Blackwell team negotiated the terms of the sale and rollover, including earnout and clawback provisions.

Crisis Management

  • As key member of the firm's CARES Act resource team, advised clients on accessing COVID-19-driven financial assistance, including Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and Main Street Lending Program.
  • Advised distillery on pivoting toward hand sanitizer production amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

General Corporate

  • Counseled startup infrastructure and facilities management business.
  • Represented client before accountant arbitrator to resolve dispute arising from client's sale of a business unit. Dispute involved whether the purchaser owed client an additional $3.6 million in working capital as part of the purchase price.
  • Represented 50-year-old family business in sale of all of its stock to employee stock ownership plan (ESOP).
  • Counseled various manufacturers and dealers/distributors on termination, nonrenewal and other relationship issues involving the distribution chain.
Case Studies
Moving Harris Park Midtown Sports & Activity Center From Vision to Reality

Our team helped bring a sports-themed development project in Kansas City's urban core to fruition.

Speaking Engagements | July 19, 2021
Speaker, "Franchise Law 101," National Business Institute
Outside the Office

John spends many of his off-hours coaching the athletic teams of his two sons.

“Between baseball and basketball seasons, my time is filled up—including both coaching and all the time I spend thinking about it,” he says.

John envisions that when his boys reach high school and get new coaches, he’ll be sitting in the stands with the other parents.

Community Leadership

John coaches sports teams in Johnson County, Kansas, including 3&2 Baseball and the Great American Basketball League (GABL).

  • Newhouse domestic violence shelter, Finance Committee; Board of Directors, 2004-2012; Vice Chair, 2010-2011
  • Hope Builders, Volunteer
  • Habitat for Humanity, Volunteer
In-House Counsel Experience
  • Senior Counsel, Aquila, 2001-2002