Biography

Clients seek out John to litigate and provide counsel for their most important restrictive covenant, trade secret, and employment matters. He regularly assists clients with crisis or other emergent situations involving executive onboarding, departures, or misconduct; mass exoduses and raids; planned hiring of key employees from competitors; claims of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation; and incentive compensation programs, acquisitions, investments, and agreements between business partners, vendors, and customers. John is known for quickly dissecting the issues and understanding the dynamics of how a case will unfold before a judge, jury, or administrative agency, as well as its impact on a company’s business and reputation.
He has represented companies across the industry spectrum, including financial services, private equity, hedge funds, alternative asset management funds, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, retail, and technology.
John has expansive experience in restrictive covenant matters, encompassing matters involving non-competition, non-solicitation, confidentiality, non-disclosure, non-disparagement, judicial modification (bluepenciling) of agreements, clawback, and other remedial provisions. He has handled these issues in all 50 states and internationally.
John has developed a reputation as a preeminent employment lawyer. In 2016, he received 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 their excellent client care and high quality of service. Since 2013, John has been recognized as a leading employment lawyer in Chambers USA, which notes he is “fantastic” and an “exceptionally talented lawyer,” “a smart, sharp lawyer who is great with clients” and “has an innate sense of how to approach a case giving you the optimal chance of success.” Since 2008, he likewise has been ranked nationally by Legal 500 in the areas of Trade Secrets and Labor & Employment Disputes. John also has been recognized by Benchmark Litigation, Best Lawyers in America, and Super Lawyers, and is a Fellow of the College of Labor & Employment Lawyers.
Outside of his active practice, he is a noted and regular author and speaker on employment-related topics. John has been quoted by The National Law Journal, among other publications, regarding employment law and restrictive covenants. He also 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.
John received his J.D. from Boston University School of Law and his B.A., cum laude, from Harvard University.
Prior to joining Weil, John worked at another international law firm, where he served as both Labor & Employment Law Department Operating Partner and as Co-Head of the Non-Compete and Trade Secrets Group.
Firm News & Announcements, Awards and Recognition, Speaking Engagements, Latest Thinking
Firm News & Announcements
- Seven Weil Partners Named Top U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers by Lawdragon in 2022 Firm Announcement — August 17, 2022
- Weil Advises MGM Resorts in its Pending $450M Sale of the Operations of Gold Strike Casino Resort Deal Brief — June 09, 2022
Awards and Recognition
- John Barry Named a “Leading” Lawyer for Labor & Employment, New York Award Brief — Chambers USA
Speaking Engagements
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Goodbye Non-Competes? The FTC’s Proposed Rule
Speaker(s):
John P. Barry and
Jeffrey H. Perry
February 16, 2023 — Weil’s Employment Litigation Practice Group Head John P. Barry and U.S. Antitrust/Competition Practice Co-Head Jeffrey Perry participated in a panel presentation entitled “Goodbye Non-Competes? The FTC’s Proposed Rule,” which was sponsored by The Conference Board’s ESG Center. During this presentation, they discussed the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s Non-Compete Clause Rule, its practical impact on companies, the prospects for, and potential challenges to, the rule, and what companies should do to prepare in the event it is implemented.
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FTC Proposes to Eliminate Almost All Non-Competes
Speaker(s):
Mark A. Perry,
John P. Barry,
Eric S. Hochstadt and
Regina Readling
January 30, 2023 — Weil partners Mark A. Perry, John Barry, Eric Hochstadt, and Regina Readling presented a cross-disciplinary Weil webinar entitled “FTC Proposes to Eliminate Almost All Non-Competes,” during which they assessed the FTC’s proposed rule and provided practical takeaways for employers.
Latest Thinking
- Employment Law Trends Assessment: 2023 Edition Alert — Employer Update — By Weil’s Employment Litigation Practice Group — PDF — March 2023
- NLRB Takes Aim at Non-Disparagement and Confidentiality Provisions For Union and Non-Union Employees Alert — Employer Update — By Rebecca Sivitz, John P. Barry, Heylee Bernstein and Sahar Merchant — PDF — March 2023
- Federal Trade Commission Proposes to Eliminate Almost all Non-competes Publication — Corporate Governance Advisor — By Eric S. Hochstadt, Jeffrey H. Perry, John P. Barry, Gary D. Friedman and Mark A. Perry — PDF — February 2023
- Non-Competes No More? Publication — Daily Journal — By Eric S. Hochstadt, Mark A. Perry, John P. Barry, Jeffrey H. Perry and Artem Khrapko — PDF — January 26, 2023
- Federal Trade Commission Proposes to Eliminate Almost All Non-Competes: Caution is Warranted Although the Proposed Rule May Not Survive Likely Legal Challenges Alert — By Eric S. Hochstadt, Jeffrey H. Perry, John P. Barry, Gary D. Friedman and Mark A. Perry — PDF — January 09, 2023