John was born and raised in Carson City, Nevada. After high school, John attended the University of San Diego, where he played on the football team and was team captain. John stayed at USD and obtained his law degree. After law school, he moved to Carson City, Nevada where he worked as a Deputy District Attorney. As an assistant D.A., John tried numerous cases, from speeding tickets to murder and everything in between. John and his wife moved to Santa Barbara in 1998, and he joined Griffith & Thornburgh upon his arrival. He enjoys coaching his boy/girl twins in several sports and serves on the boards of local non-profit organizations.
Professional
- Partner, Griffith & Thornburgh, LLP: 2004 – Present
- Associate, Griffith & Thornburgh, LLP: 1998 – 2003
- Highest “AV” rating from Martindale-Hubbell, Inc. since 2012
- Deputy District Attorney, Carson City, Nevada: 1996 – 1998
- Law Clerk, The Honorable Michael R. Griffin, First Judicial District for the State of Nevada, Carson City, Nevada: 1995 – 1996
Practice Areas
- General Business Litigation
- Real Estate Litigation
- Personal Injury Litigation
- Probate Litigation
- Business Formation and Counseling
- Estate Planning
Memberships
- California State Bar Association, admitted 1997
- Nevada State Bar Association, admitted 1995
- Santa Barbara County Bar Association
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California
Education
- University of San Diego School of Law, J.D. May 1995
- Member, San Diego Law Review, 1993-1995
- American Jurisprudence Award in Torts, Civil Procedure
- Spain Family Endowment Scholarship, Spring/1994
- Kevin Briscoe Memorial Scholarship, Spring/1994
- Institute on International and Comparative Law, Dublin, Ireland, Summer/1993
- University of San Diego
- B.A. Magna Cum Laude, Political Science, 1992
- Dean’s List, four years
- Nominated Academic All-American for USD Football
- James B. Orwig Scholar Athlete Award, 1989, 1990, 1991
- National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Award
Community Activities
- St. Francis Foundation (Board Member 2009-2015)
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel School (Parent Guild Member 2010-2019)
- Coach: Youth basketball and baseball
- Bishop Garcia Diego High School (Board of Trustees Member 2020-present)