John is a shareholder at Kastner Westman & Wilkins, LLC and his practice focuses on representation of management in a variety of labor and employment issues under state and federal law. John regularly assists clients in defending wrongful discharge, employment discrimination, wage and hour and other employment-related cases. He additionally handles traditional labor law matters including contract negotiations, grievance arbitrations and defense of unfair labor practice charges. John has represented employers before a variety of state and federal government agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the State of Ohio Personnel Board of Review, the Ohio State Employment Relations Board, and the U.S. Department of Labor. John regularly advises clients on employment contracts, sexual harassment investigations, severance agreements, noncompetition matters, reductions in force, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act, as well as the drafting of handbooks, policies and procedures.
John received his undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University in 1985 and earned his law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1992, where he was recipient of the Dean’s Outstanding Written Advocate Award in Moot Court and earned the right to compete on the law school’s International Moot Court Team.
Prior to attending law school, John was a Personnel Officer with First Union National Bank (now Wells Fargo) in Charlotte, North Carolina, responsible for the recruitment of professional personnel and management of human resource and employee relations issues for six bank divisions. Before joining Kastner Westman & Wilkins, LLC, John practiced for several years at a large Ohio-based firm where he was a shareholder.
John is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Court of Ohio, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. John is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, the Akron Bar Association where he has served as Chairman of the Labor and Employment Law Section, and the Society of Human Resource Managers. He is an active community volunteer, having served on the boards of several northeast Ohio non-profits.