He began handling cases dealing with natural gas contracts, pricing and market value royalty disputes in the early 1970s. Later, he moved on to the take-or-pay era of the late-1970s and early 1980s in the energy industry. During these same periods, he also handled an increasing volume of expropriation litigation and spearheaded major natural gas underground storage projects. In the 1980s and 1990s, his focus expanded to include excess royalty disputes and litigation.

John litigated contract disputes, exploration and development disputes, expropriation matters, land ownership matters, the defense of mineral lessor/landowner/royalty owner suits, product marketing issues, and environmental/land damage claims.

Additionally, he challenged ad valorem tax rates and valuation procedures used by the State of Louisiana in an effort to increase tax collections from the natural gas pipeline industry. At one time, John had tax refund suits pending in all of Louisiana’s 64 parishes (counties). He has represented a number of clients defending severance tax collection suits brought by the State of Louisiana against crude oil producers. John was involved in successfully challenging in the United States Supreme Court the First Use Tax that Louisiana imposed on natural gas.

John’s litigation experience includes class action disputes, suits involving the federal multidistrict litigation procedures and suits brought under the federal False Claims Act. He has been active in various alternative dispute resolution activities, such as arbitration and mediation, both as counsel representing a client in such matters and as an arbitrator or mediator.

Beyond his representation specific to the oil and gas arena, John has represented a diverse group of clients that include agricultural companies, banks, industrial concerns, insurance companies and other commercial entities, lawyers and law firms, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. He has represented these clients in a wide range of civil disputes and lawsuits, including diverse commercial disputes, director and officer and professional liability litigation, tax suits, and other commercial disputes.

John is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and American and Louisiana State Bar Foundations. Before entering private practice, he served in the United States Army, Judge Advocate General’s Corps as both a prosecutor and criminal defense counsel and in the claims field, as well as providing legal advice and representation to individuals serving in the Armed Forces. He was assigned to the Judge Advocate General’s School at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, the Republic of Vietnam, and Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia. While in that position, he also served as counsel for the United States Army Recruiting Command, Procurement Division. Among other awards, John received the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Air Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal, for his military service.

In addition to his legal pursuits, John Is active in a number of community activities, including serving on the LSU Advisory Council for the Greater New Orleans Area, the Board of Trustees of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, the Board of Directors of the Churchill Society of New Orleans, the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Veterans Research and Education Corporation, as an usher at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, in the Patriots Circle at the National World War II Museum, and membership in the Military Order of Foreign Wars and the Military Order of the World Wars. He previously served on the Board of Trustees of St. Martin’s Episcopal School and served several terms on the Vestry of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, including service as Senior Warden and Chancellor.