Bio
John L. Watkins is a business litigation and business attorney in Atlanta, Georgia, and is also a registered mediator with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution. John is a partner with the Atlanta office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP, an Am Law 100 law firm with offices in Atlanta, Indianapolis, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Grand Rapids, Columbus, Ohio, and other cities. John can be contacted at (404) 846-1693 or through the contact form on this site.
As a lawyer, John represents domestic and international companies in litigation matters, currently focusing on cases involving insurance coverage, trade secrets and corporate and LLC disputes. Over the years, John has handled many other types of litigation, including product liability and catastrophic tort claims and many types of contract disputes. John also helps clients with sales contracts, non-disclosure agreements, dispute resolution provisions, and other business contracts. John's focus as a lawyer is to help business clients avoid disputes and to help litigation clients resolve disputes as quickly and efficiently as possible.
John was an “early adapter” to mediation and alternative dispute resolution. John has represented businesses and individuals as a lawyer in numerous mediations in Georgia and other states since the late 1980s. Some of the cases included damages claims of nine figures or involved class actions. John has written and spoken extensively on mediation and arbitration. John became a registered mediator in 2007 and is now also available to serve as a mediator.
John has been named to the list of Georgia Super Lawyers by Law and Politics and Atlanta Magazine since 2008. In 2010 and 2012, John was one of the top 100 Georgia Super Lawyers based on the nomination, research, and review process. He has been listed in Georgia Trend's Legal Elite for since 2010. He is rated "AV" by Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, its highest rating, and 10.0 by AVVO, its highest rating.
John is the author of An Insider's Guide on Hiring a Business Attorney, a book that is a guide for business owners and executives for finding, evaluating, hiring, and working with a business attorney.
John graduated first in his class at the University of Georgia School of Law in 1982, where he received an academic scholarship, was a member of the Georgia Law Review Editorial Board, and received numerous academic awards, including the Order of the Coif. While in law school, John also worked as a teaching assistant and research assistant in the School of Business.
John is also active in the international business community in Atlanta, including with German American Chamber of Commerce. He is on the Board of Directors of the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce and the Atlanta International Arbitration Society. John served on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Bar Association's Construction Section from 2005-2009. He is a Fellow of the Center for International Legal Studies.
All engagements are done solely through John's firm, Barnes & Thornburg, LLP, after a conflict check and only pursuant to a written engagement. PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION THROUGH THE CONTACT FORM ON THIS SITE.
As a lawyer, John represents domestic and international companies in litigation matters, currently focusing on cases involving insurance coverage, trade secrets and corporate and LLC disputes. Over the years, John has handled many other types of litigation, including product liability and catastrophic tort claims and many types of contract disputes. John also helps clients with sales contracts, non-disclosure agreements, dispute resolution provisions, and other business contracts. John's focus as a lawyer is to help business clients avoid disputes and to help litigation clients resolve disputes as quickly and efficiently as possible.
John was an “early adapter” to mediation and alternative dispute resolution. John has represented businesses and individuals as a lawyer in numerous mediations in Georgia and other states since the late 1980s. Some of the cases included damages claims of nine figures or involved class actions. John has written and spoken extensively on mediation and arbitration. John became a registered mediator in 2007 and is now also available to serve as a mediator.
John has been named to the list of Georgia Super Lawyers by Law and Politics and Atlanta Magazine since 2008. In 2010 and 2012, John was one of the top 100 Georgia Super Lawyers based on the nomination, research, and review process. He has been listed in Georgia Trend's Legal Elite for since 2010. He is rated "AV" by Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, its highest rating, and 10.0 by AVVO, its highest rating.
John is the author of An Insider's Guide on Hiring a Business Attorney, a book that is a guide for business owners and executives for finding, evaluating, hiring, and working with a business attorney.
John graduated first in his class at the University of Georgia School of Law in 1982, where he received an academic scholarship, was a member of the Georgia Law Review Editorial Board, and received numerous academic awards, including the Order of the Coif. While in law school, John also worked as a teaching assistant and research assistant in the School of Business.
John is also active in the international business community in Atlanta, including with German American Chamber of Commerce. He is on the Board of Directors of the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce and the Atlanta International Arbitration Society. John served on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Bar Association's Construction Section from 2005-2009. He is a Fellow of the Center for International Legal Studies.
All engagements are done solely through John's firm, Barnes & Thornburg, LLP, after a conflict check and only pursuant to a written engagement. PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION THROUGH THE CONTACT FORM ON THIS SITE.
