Overview

John has more than 40 years of experience advising hundreds of financial institutions and their boards on mergers and acquisitions, bank regulatory issues, corporate governance, and securities law matters. John is straight-forward, a good sounding board and strategic thinker, meticulous, and personable.

John is the founder and former co-chair of BFKN’s Financial Institutions Group and has advised hundreds of financial institutions on strategic, corporate governance and other matters. His extensive experience includes the representation of numerous public companies, as well as regional and community banks. John spends considerable time counseling institutions and their boards with respect to mergers and acquisitions, bank regulatory issues, corporate governance and securities law matters.

John is frequently recognized as one of financial institution law's top-ranked practitioners by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers, and other publications. He is also one of only three recipients to be awarded the Illinois Bankers Association’s Distinguished Bank Counsel Award.

John is active in the banking community. He is a well-known speaker at national conferences involving the financial institutions area, addressing bank trade associations, regulators, and industry groups across the country. John is also the Founder and past Chairman of the Community Bank Subcommittee of the American Bar Association Business Law Section’s Banking Law Committee.

John has served as an Adjunct Professor of banking law at a number of law schools for the past 25 years, including at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law since 2001.

Credentials

Admissions

  • State of Illinois

Education

  • Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, J.D., 1975
  • Northwestern University, B.A., 1972

Experience

John has presided over building the Financial Institutions Group to more than 30 attorneys representing over 300 banks across the country. The group is a continual national leader in bank M&A deals the past 20 years, representing buyers and sellers of financial institutions in more than 300 mergers and acquisitions. A number of representative deals and matters follow.

Newsroom

News

Publications

Recognitions

  • Band Ranked, Chambers USA (2022-2024)
    • Financial Services Regulation
  • Best Lawyer, The Best Lawyers in America© (2007-2026)
    •  Banking and Finance Law
    •  Financial Services Regulation Law
  • Super Lawyer, Illinois Super Lawyers (2009-2013, 2017-2025)
  • Leading Lawyer, Leading Lawyers Network (2006-2025)
  • Top Rated Lawyer in Banking & Finance Law, American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell™ 
  • IBA’s Distinguished Bank Counsel Award
  • bl_freechack_2026
  • chambers_freechack_2024

Organizations

  • Adjunct Professor, Banking Law, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law (2001-Present)
  • Adjunct Professor, Graduate Financial Services Program, IIT/Chicago Kent College of Law
  • Co-Editor, Advising Illinois Financial Institutions, Two-Volume Handbook
  • Associate Member, Illinois Bankers Association
  • Member, Banking Law Committee, American Bar Association
  • Founder & Former Chair, Community Bank Subcommittee, American Bar Association
Quote

"He's an impressive lawyer. He has a great vision of the industry."

Chambers USA
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