A key lawyer in the growth of Merchant & Gould, John served as its managing partner, president and chairman of the board from 1973 to 1988. John has over 40 years experience as a trial lawyer throughout the United States in the field of intellectual property law. In addition to the numerous cases he has tried as lead counsel, John has assisted in the trial of many others, and has also successfully negotiated settlement before trial in a significant number of cases. John is registered on the Rule 114 roster of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice as a mediator and arbitrator. He has served as an arbitrator and court-appointed mediator in several matters. In 1997-1998, John was president of MIPLA. In 2000, the Hennepin County Bar Association named John as the recipient of its prestigious Professionalism Award. He has also achieved an AV peer review rating by Martindale-Hubbell.