John W. Berry principally handles complex commercial, real estate, securities and bankruptcy-related litigation. In addition, Mr. Berry has conducted numerous internal investigations for public companies, and has assisted in the defense of clients involved in investigations by the SEC and the Department of Justice. He also assists clients involved in workouts or restructurings of distressed or defaulted real estate financings. Moreover, Mr. Berry has significant experience in international arbitration. He also has an extensive appellate practice before New York State appellate courts and the 2nd Circuit.
Among other recent engagements, Mr. Berry —
- defended a real estate broker in a complex, high-profile and long-standing commercial real estate dispute before the New York State commercial and appellate courts
- obtained judgments against the guarantors of defaulted mezzanine loans in New York State court, while overseeing the foreclosure of the collateralized corporate membership interests of the mezzanine borrower in a public sale conducted under the UCC
- represents a major Russian oil company in a putative securities-fraud class arbitration under the AAA class arbitration and international rules, which involves the application of Russian law and accounting standards
- served as trial counsel for the Official Creditors’ Committee of Loral Space and Communications in its contested confirmation hearing addressing the valuation of its assets
- conducted an internal investigation for the board of directors of a public company to assess the company’s claims and defenses against its affiliate
- conducted an internal investigation for the special committee of a board of a public company regarding allegations of the backdating of options.
Moreover, Mr. Berry has handled numerous pro bono matters, and received The Legal Aid Society’s 2006 Pro Bono Award.
Prior to joining Akin Gump, Mr. Berry was a corporate associate at Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP. Before becoming an attorney, he was a field engineer for General Electric Co. in Houston, Texas. Mr. Berry received his B.S.E. cum laude in mechanical engineering and economics in 1992 from Duke University and his J.D. and M.B.A. in 1998 from the University of Virginia. He is a member of the New York Bar.