Skip to Main Content.

Industries

Practices

Biography

John concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial real estate, corporate and business transactions. He serves as general outside legal counsel to a variety of public and privately held businesses both regionally and across the country. John is regularly involved in structuring and negotiating the sale and acquisition of a wide range of businesses, both at the entity level as well as at the asset level, serving as the lead lawyer for the Frost Brown Todd team.

John has maintained a national real estate practice representing commercial, shopping center and apartment developers, owners of commercial office buildings, REITs, national hotel chains, department stores and in-line mall tenants. He regularly represents clients in the development, acquisition, leasing and financing of real estate projects across the country, handling all facets of the legal work from negotiating the development documents to the institutional or securitized loans used to finance the developments. John has also had extensive experience in representing lenders, and his background as developers’ counsel has made him well suited in representing lenders on real estate and commercial loan transactions.

Other Info About John

Education

Law School

The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law, J.D.

Graduate School

University of Chicago, M.A., Divinity School
Rockefeller Foundation Fellow

Undergraduate School

Denison University, B.A., cum laude
Phi Beta Kappa
Omicron Delta Kappa (Economics Honorary)

Bar Memberships

John is licensed to practice in the following state(s):

Ohio

Florida

Recognition

Local & National Recognition

Chambers USA, Real Estate, 2005-2024

The Best Lawyers in America®, Real Estate Law, 2003-2025

Selected for inclusion in Ohio Super Lawyers®, 2004-2017; 2019-2024

International Who’s Who Legal for Real Estate Lawyers 2012-present

AV® Rated, Martindale-Hubbell®

Professional Affiliations

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

American College of Real Estate Lawyers, 2003-present

The Ohio State University Center for Real Estate, Executive Committee, 2013-present

International Council of Shopping Centers, Member of the ICSC U.S. Law Conference Planning Committee, 2014-present

American Bar Association, Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, Member

Ohio State Bar Association, Real Property Law Section, former Chair of the Section Governing Council, former Vice Chair and Secretary of the Council, and former Chair of the Legislative Review Committee

The Florida Bar, Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, Member

Columbus Bar Association, Real Property Committee, Member; Business Law Committee, Member

Columbus Bar Foundation, Member

Civic Activities

Civic & Charitable Organizations

US Bank Columbus Region Advisory Board, former Member

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Board of Trustees; former Trustee and former Member Finance Committee

University of Chicago Divinity School, Council Member

Ohio Dominican University, former Member Board of Trustees

Firm Committees

John serves or has served in the following leadership role(s) at Frost Brown Todd:

Finance Committee, former Member

Presentations

John was invited to speak at the following events:

Speaker: “Renovating and Expanding Existing Regional Shopping Centers”
1999 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center National Law Conference

Speaker: “Retooling REA’s: Evaluation of the Critical Elements of the Typical REA” 2001 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center National Law Conference

Speaker: “Expansions: Breathing New Life into Old Shopping Centers”
2003 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center Regional Law Conference

Speaker: “Re-Development of Shopping Centers – Trends in 2006”
2006 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center National Law Conference

Speaker: “The ABCs Of Redeveloping Existing Shopping Centers”
2008 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center National Law Conference

Speaker: “Help! My Shopping Center Has Fallen and Can’t Get Up!”
2009 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center National Law Conference

Speaker: “Are You Aware of Certain Ohio and Federal Requirements for Transactions Involving a Foreign National?” 2008 Ohio State Bar Association

Speaker: “Alternatives to Conventional Financing”
2008 Ohio State Bar Association Sixteenth Annual Bradley J. Schaeffer Real Property Institute: Foreclosure Fallout

Speaker: “Reinventing The Wheel: Re-enginnering Existing Shopping Center Projects” 2010 American Bar Association 21st Annual Spring Symposia

Speaker: “HELP! My Shopping Center Has Fallen and Can’t Get Up – Dealing with the Troubled Center” 2010 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center National Law Conference

Speaker: “Lease Guaranties and Other Collateral: So You Really Thought You were Secured?” 2011 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center National Law Conference

Speaker: “Letters of Intent – Considerations For Leasing and Deal Transactions”
2012 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center National Law Conference

Speaker: “So Your Anchor Has Closed…Now What?”
2013 ICSC Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania Retail Development and Law Symposium

Speaker: “Drafting Exclusive Use Clauses in Retail Leases”
2013 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center National Law Conference

Major Publications

John is an author or contributor to the following publications:

Co-Author: “Renovating and Expanding Existing Regional Shopping Centers” 1999 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center National Law Conference

Co-Author: “Retooling REA’s: Evaluation of the Critical Elements of the Typical REA” 2001 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center National Law Conference

Co-Author: “Expansions: Breathing New Life into Old Shopping Centers”
2003 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center Regional Law Conference

Contributing Author: “Renovating and Expanding Existing Regional Shopping Centers” ICSC Leasing Law Handbook Crafting Lease Clauses, Volume III, 2003

Co-Author: “Re-Development of Shopping Centers – Trends in 2006”
2006 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center National Law Conference

Co-Author: “The ABCs Of Redeveloping Existing Shopping Centers”
2008 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center National Law Conference

Co-Author: “Help! My Shopping Center Has Fallen and Can’t Get Up!”
2009 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center National Law Conference

Author: “Are You Aware of Certain Ohio and Federal Requirements for Transactions Involving a Foreign National?” 2008 Ohio State Bar Association

Author: “Alternatives to Conventional Financing”
2008 Ohio State Bar Association Sixteenth Annual Bradley J. Schaeffer Real Property Institute: Foreclosure Fallout

Co-Author: “The ABCs of Redeveloping Existing Shopping Centers”
Probate & Property – A Publication of the Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, American Bar Association
September/October 2009 Vol. 23 No. 5

Co-Author: “Reinventing The Wheel: Re-enginnering Existing Shopping Center Projects”
2010 American Bar Association 21st Annual Spring Symposia

Co-Author: “HELP! My Shopping Center Has Fallen and Can’t Get Up – Dealing with the Troubled Center” 2010 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center National Law Conference

Co-Author: “Lease Guaranties and Other Collateral: So You Really Thought You were Secured?” 2011 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center National Law Conference

Co-Author: “Letters of Intent – Considerations For Leasing and Deal Transactions” 2012 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center National Law Conference

Co-Author: “So Your Anchor Has Closed…Now What?”
2013 ICSC Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania Retail Development and Law Symposium

Author: “Drafting Exclusive Use Clauses in Retail Leases”
2013 ICSC U.S. Shopping Center National Law Conference

Related Insights