John Barry

John P. Barry is a partner in the Labor & Employment Law Department and co-head of the Non-Compete & Trade Secrets Group and the Higher Education and Title IX Group. John is an experienced trial lawyer who has appeared in courts across the U.S.

He is sought out by clients to litigate and/or provide counsel for their most sensitive, sophisticated and important restrictive covenant, trade secret and employment matters. He is able to quickly dissect the issues and recognize the pressure points of how a case will unfold before a judge, jury, or administrative agency.

He regularly “jumps in” to assist clients with emergent situations involving an executive’s departure, a mass exodus (or raid), the planned hire of an employee or team of employees from a competitor, or claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation or the like.

Clients call on John for his knowledge and experience in many contexts, including restrictive covenants in incentive compensation programs, acquisitions, investments and agreements between business partners, vendors and customers.

Restrictive covenant matters he handles include: non-competition, non-solicitation, confidentiality, non-disclosure, non-disparagement, judicial modification (blue-penciling) of agreements, clawback and other remedial provisions. He has handled these issues in all 50 states and internationally.

John has served as lead counsel in the defense of numerous employment discrimination and/or retaliation lawsuits. These include alleged violations of discrimination, retaliation and whistleblower laws.

John also has a niche practice representing colleges and universities in employment and student matters. As co-head of the Higher Education Group, John regularly counsels and trains clients on Title IX compliance and accommodating students with disabilities (particularly those with mental health issues).

He handles OCR investigations and has represented universities in litigations advanced by students alleging discrimination and other unlawful conduct.

Most recently, John was a recipient of the 2016 Lexology Client Choice Award in the Employment & Benefits category, an accolade that recognizes law firms and partners around the world who stand apart for the excellent client care they provide and the quality of their service.

Also a noted author and speaker on employment-related topics, John has been quoted by The National Law Journal, among other publications, regarding employment law, privacy in the workplace and restrictive covenants. He was honored with a 2013 Burton Award for Distinguished Legal Writing for the article, “Can An Employee Steal Social Media Influence?” which appeared in Corporate Counsel in March 2012.

Education :

• Boston University School of Law, J.D., 1994
• Harvard University, B.A., 1991

Admissions & Qualifications : New Jersey, New York

Court Admissions :

• U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
• U.S. District Court, New Jersey
• U.S. District Court, New York, Eastern District
• U.S. District Court, New York, Southern District

Memberships :

• American Bar Association
• New York State Bar Association
• New Jersey State Bar Association