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 who are developing large, government-funded energy, science, and engineering projects.
John began his nearly 25-year career in private practice where he focused on construction and government contracts litigation. Following these formative years, he honed his 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.
Powered by his government contracts experience, 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 new technologies for scientific research, trains the next generation of scientists, and commercializes innovative technologies 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 within industries such as energy, higher education, construction, and government contracting that develop and execute government-funded, large-scale energy projects 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 nuclear fusion a reality.
As a former GC, John brings the client perspective to every matter. Clients value his depth of experience, 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-its-kind problems.