John P. Johnson, Jr., joined the firm’s Philadelphia office in September 2001 and is a member of the Commercial Litigation Group. John is also a member of the firm’s Legal Professional Liability Group and serves as chair of the Commercial Litigation Paralegals.
John has a wide range of experience in commercial litigation matters involving contract disputes, partnership disputes, directors and officers liability, employment matters, landlord-tenant disputes, as well as class action litigation, focusing his practice in the defense of legal malpractice actions John has successfully litigated and defended lawyers in more than 75 matters, including claims sounding in legal malpractice, defense of claims by non-clients against lawyers, representation of lawyers in bankruptcy matters, as well as representation of lawyers in fee disputes with clients.
In 2012 John was successful in having the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey dismiss a claim of malicious prosecution against a prominent criminal defense lawyer and his firm. Also, in 2011, John was successful in winning summary judgment in two major matters in which claims were asserted against law firms alleging both tort and assumpsit, with exposure in the millions.
Representative Engagements Include:
• Represented officers and directors of a venture capital group in an investigation and enforcement action by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
• Represented regional advertising firm in commercial landlord/tenant action.
• Represented Am-Law Top 100 law firm in a suit alleging claims of legal malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty, and interference with prospective contractual relationships, with exposure in excess in excess of $30 million.
John is also the co-author of Certificate of Merit – A New Threshold Requirement in Professional Malpractice Actions and Legal Malpractice: Is the Standard for Establishing Liability in a Transactional Setting Different from the Standard Used in Establishing Liability in a Litigation Setting.
John received his Bachelor of Science from Widener University in Business Administration in 1982. John spent 18 years in the oil business with Shell Oil and Arco Petroleum Products prior to joining the firm. He earned his law degree, with highest honors, from The Rutgers School of Law in 2001, where he was a Dean Scholar. John received the New Jersey Bar Foundation Scholarship for his outstanding academic achievement.
John is a member of the American Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the New Jersey Bar Association.
