John has more than twenty years experience of trial work in the courts of Montana, with trials varying from products liability, auto accidents and insurance bad faith to real property disputes, timber trespass and even bar fights. A native of Phoenix, Arizona, John was raised in Central Montana and has made Montana his home for nearly 50 years.

John graduated from Montana State University in Bozeman, with honors, in 1983 and received his law degree from the University of Montana School of Law, with honors, in 1986. During law school he served on the Montana Law Review. Since graduating in 1986, John has been involved in all defense aspects of insurance-related litigation, insurance coverage and bad faith litigation, professional negligence and personal injury defense, as well as general civil litigation.

John is admitted to practice before all state courts in Montana, the U.S. District Court of Montana, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and various tribal courts throughout Montana. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), Defense Research Institute (DRI), Western Montana Bar Assocation, American Bar Association, American Judicature Society, Montana Defense Trial Lawyers (board member and past president), and he recently served as Montana Representative DRI. John has a BV rating in Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. He has the following reported cases Tyler v. Fireman’s Fund Ins. Co., 255 Mont. 174, 841 P.2d 538 (1992); Smart v. Molinario, 319 Mont. 83 P.3d 1284 (2004); Hern v. Safeco Ins. Co. of Ill., 329 Mont. 347 125 P 3rd. 597 (2005); Redies v. Attys. Liability Protec. Socy., 355 Mont. 233, 150 P3d 930 (2007). John has contributed to all three editions of the DRI “Compendium of Bad Faith,” serving as both contributing and regional editor. John regularly presents seminars to insurance claims representatives throughout the Western United States on a variety of topics.

John has participated in several community organizations, including the boards of the Casey Family Programs, Missoula Food Bank, Young Audiences, and the Missoula Strikers Youth Soccer Club. In his spare time he enjoys golf, skiing, fishing and travel.