John F. Batter’s practice focuses on the defense of public and private companies and their directors and management against breach of fiduciary duty claims and securities fraud allegations, including those arising out of mergers and acquisitions and public offerings.
He also has extensive experience handling the defense of SEC investigations and the unique issues presented by class actions. Mr. Batter joined the firm in 1982 and is a member of the firm’s Senior Associates Committee.
Mr. Batter represents high technology and other public and private companies, which have included a national NYSE retailer, Raytheon, Canaccord Genuity, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Gulf Oil, Cumberland Farms, Vonage, Discovery Communications, Chicago Bridge & Iron, Babcock Power, Aspect Medical Systems, Sonus Networks, Peritus Software Services, Akamai Technologies, BioSphere Medical, Inc., Copley Pharmaceuticals, Fallbrook Technologies, Storage Technology, Avid and Michaels Stores.
Clients rely on Mr. Batter to defend securities claims as well as to provide counsel on corporate governance matters and in connection with SEC, FINRA and state regulatory investigations.
In addition to advising clients in securities matters, Mr. Batter represents companies involved in litigation arising from consumer class actions and software or other technology licensing disputes.
Mr. Batter also supervises numerous pro bono cases involving veterans seeking benefits from the US Department of Veterans Affairs and individuals seeking housing and Social Security Administration assistance.
Mr. Batter is a former member of the Finance Committee for the Town of Weston, and served as chair of the town’s Committee to Study Uses and Space Needs for Public Lands and Buildings. He is a former Regional Chair of the Harvard College Parents Fund.
Mr. Batter holds an appointment as a Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Business School, co-teaching Law, Management and Entrepreneurship and has lectured in both first and second year courses, including Legal Aspects of Entrepreneurship, the Founders’ Journey and the Entrepreneurial Manager.
He has also been a visiting teacher at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, where he co-taught a course he helped design for second year MBA students entitled “Essential Law for Business.”
Mr. Batter also serves on the Marine Biological Laboratory Council in Woods Hole and is a member of the Board of Directors of the New England Legal Foundation, a non-profit public interest firm addressing policy concerns related to free enterprise.
EDUCATION :
- JD, Harvard Law School, 1982
- SB, Management Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1978
ADMISSIONS : Massachusetts
Cost
Rate : $$$