John Kiernan

John S. Kiernan retired from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in 2022 after 40 years, serving on the Management Committee, co-chairing the Litigation Department, and chairing the Ethics Committee. He handled commercial litigation, arbitrations, mediations, and investigations in contracts, corporate governance, securities, intellectual property, and mass torts.

Recognized by Chambers USA as an “extraordinary commercial litigator” with “great judgment” and by IFLR Benchmark Litigation as a leading litigator since 2010, John is also noted in The Legal 500 US and Best Lawyers for securities and dispute resolution.

He chairs the Boards of Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York, the William Nelson Cromwell Foundation, and co-chairs the Inner-City Scholarship Fund, Lawyers Division. John has led the New York City Bar Association, Legal Services-NYC, and other legal and community organizations. He served as Mayor of Pelham Manor, NY, and contributed to state judicial advisory committees.

John has written extensively on litigation and dispute resolution, co-edited The Litigation Manual, and taught at NYU Law School. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard (B.A., 1976; J.D., 1980), was a Harvard Law Review editor, and clerked for Judge Walter R. Mansfield (Second Circuit).

New York

New York State Office of Court Administration

ID Number: 1810449

Since 1982

Harvard Law School

J.D. (1980)

1980