John C. Barnoski is a member in the Commercial Litigation Group. His practice focuses on litigation and trial matters involving complex contract disputes and business torts. John has particular experience in litigating and trying cases involving non-competition, non-solicitation, and licensing agreements; claims against officers and directors of public and private companies; governance and other internal disputes between shareholders or partners; "business divorces" involving closely held companies; and, real estate deals and transactions. John's clients cover a wide range of industries, including the health care, financial, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, real estate and insurance industries.
John is an experienced trial lawyer, having tried numerous cases involving claims for breach of contract, business torts, and accounting malpractice, as well as claims asserted in will contests. John has successfully prosecuted or defended more than 20 injunction proceedings in federal and state courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He has also argued and prevailed upon several, significant motions for summary judgment in federal and state court in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, and has argued cases at the appellate level in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. John also has a significant arbitration practice, having tried several cases before the American Arbitration Association, JAMS, and other alternative dispute resolution panels, and he has participated in multiple, significant mediations that concluded in favor of his clients, thereby avoiding the cost of litigation.
Outside of the courtroom, John is routinely asked to advise boards of directors, shareholders and members of limited liability companies on matters involving corporate governance, internal controls and risk management strategies to reduce their exposure to potential litigation. He has also assisted clients in the health care industry, to qualify as Field Marketing Organizations with major health care providers, having developed and drafted compliance programs for the clients and negotiated the agency agreements with the health care providers. John has also negotiated several, multimillion dollar stock buy-outs on behalf of minority shareholders and members, and has advised partnerships and limited liability companies on issues related to the dissolution, “winding up,” and restructuring of shareholder/member relationships.
Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, John is a member of the American, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Bar Associations. He has been named a Pennsylvania Rising Star by Law & Politics.
John received his Bachelor of Arts from Franklin & Marshall College in 1994. While at F&M, John was a member of the Men's 1990-1991 basketball team, which reached the Division III National Championship and was eventually inducted into F&M's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013. John went on to earn his law degree, cum laude, from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1997, where he was a managing editor of the Constitutional Law Journal.
