John R Wester

Practice Areas

Appeals

Class Actions

Corporate & Securities Litigation

Employment & Labor

Government Litigation

Government Relations

Intellectual Property & Technology

Litigation

North Carolina Business Court

Sports & Entertainment

Career

When clients need an advocate with precision and tenacity, they call John Wester. John routinely handles cases with a high probability of going to trial, and he often enters a case after it is underway, including at the appellate stage.

John’s trials and appeals encompass corporate governance and shareholder rights disputes, federal securities and ERISA actions, unfair trade practice and trade secret disputes, tax controversies and employment discrimination. He has prosecuted and defended numerous class action cases in federal and state courts, with extensive experience in the North Carolina Business Court. John has also served as lead counsel in noteworthy cases reaching the U.S. Supreme Court.

Outside his wheelhouse of business litigation, John has brought and defended cases advancing constitutional issues. He was lead counsel in the North Carolina Supreme Court for Gov. Patrick McCrory and former Govs. James Hunt and James Martin in a successful challenge to the General Assembly's limiting the governor's authority over boards and commissions. In 2018, John was lead counsel for Gov. Roy Cooper challenging the General Assembly's proposed constitutional amendment to remove the governor's authority to fill judicial vacancies.

In 2021, John received the Advocate's Award, the highest honor given by the North Carolina Bar Association's Litigation Section.

John is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. He is a member of the College’s Judicial Independence Committee, having served as the inaugural chair.

Education