Formerly general counsel and corporate secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), John is uniquely positioned to help clients drive deep tech innovation, including in AI, quantum, and fusion energy.
John began his nearly 25-year career in private practice, where he focused on construction and government contracts litigation. He then developed leadership skills at a multinational public company as lead counsel for all aspects of domestic and international government contracting and compliance, including large government energy savings performance contracts. In 2015, he was recruited to be general counsel at Fermi Research Alliance, LLC, which manages and operates Fermilab, America’s particle physics and accelerator laboratory, for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. The multibillion-dollar facility drives development of advanced technologies for high-energy physics, trains the next generation of scientists, and commercializes innovations developed at the laboratory.
In 2024, John joined Husch Blackwell to help clients address global issues and transform lives through innovation while navigating the dynamic energy regulatory landscape. Organizations that develop, fund, and deliver advanced technologies benefit from his industry insights and relationships within the Department of Energy and the National Laboratories. John is particularly passionate about working with businesses and investors committed to making commercial fusion a reality.
As a former GC, John brings the client perspective to every matter. Clients value his depth of experience, strategic perspective, sensitivity to the pressures facing in-house counsel, experience driving initiatives through boards of directors, ability to marshal limited resources, and talent for finding creative solutions to first-of-a-kind problems.