Skip to content

John J. Hern, Jr.

Of Counsel
fax +1 313.309.6820

John J. Hern, Jr.’s practice involves advising corporations of all sizes, public and private, on a wide range of issues such as incorporation, financing, leasing, contracting, mergers, acquisitions, and leveraged buyouts. He previously served as Clark Hill’s Chief Executive Officer.

John has been involved in multimillion dollar corporate mergers and acquisitions with manufacturing, service, and financial organizations. His participation has included virtually every aspect of these transactions from the negotiation and structuring to the closing.

In the securities area, John has been involved with both private offerings of securities and public offerings. In this area, he has extensive experience dealing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, he has been involved with many of the ongoing compliance requirements imposed by the securities laws, such as preparing Form 10 Ks, proxy statements, annual reports, and monitoring insider trading.

John has broad experience advising the closely held corporation and its officers, directors, and shareholders, including issues relating to incorporation, dissolution, tax advice, shareholder agreements, and employment and compensation agreements. Further, he has dealt with minority shareholder rights.

John has substantial experience regarding non-compete agreements and restrictive covenants. He has traveled abroad to provide advice regarding antitrust issues and has advised clients regarding the application of U.S. as well as E.C. antitrust laws in a variety of contexts, including business combinations and exclusive supply and distribution arrangements. He also has significant experience in forming joint ventures and strategic alliances, and has employed the limited liability company for these and other purposes.

John also routinely advises a variety of clients regarding the protection of technology. His intellectual property practice includes regular dealings with the Patent and the Trademark Office in connection with the processing of trademark and servicemark registrations, security instruments, and assignments of trademarks. He has also developed strong skills in the area of trade secrets, confidentiality agreements, ownership and transfer of proprietary information and developments, and related legal fields.

Education

J.D., cum laude, University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1986
B.A., University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, 1982

Recognitions

Named 2024 Top Lawyer by DBusiness

Named a Leading Lawyer in Detroit by Leading Lawyers℠ (2014-2023)

Named Detroit, Michigan’s Mergers and Acquisitions “Lawyer of the Year” in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©

Named among The Best Lawyers in America® for Banking and Finance Law (2008-2024); Corporate Law (2007-2024); Mergers & Acquisitions (2010-2024)

American Lawyer, Midwest Trailblazer (2021)

State Bar Licenses

Michigan