Berke | Farah LLP

Navigating the law of politics (and more)

Politics is a regulated industry. At Berke Farah LLP, we provide legal advice and counsel to help clients navigate all aspects of the political process – including campaign finance, election law, government ethics, presidential nominations and Senate confirmations, lobbying law, corporate anti-corruption compliance, government investigations, non-profits, and fundraising. Beyond politics, we also represent clients on white collar criminal defense, regulatory, corporate governance, intellectual property, and entertainment law. Our clients include Fortune 500 companies, national trade associations, lobbying and public relations firms, political committees and campaigns, elected and appointed government officials, artists, musicians, and writers.

John Kern serves as a Senior Consultant to Berke Farah LLP while maintaining his practice at the Law Offices of John Kern.  John maintains a diverse and sophisticated law practice, handling federal and state cases throughout the country. John concentrates upon two primary areas. First, he represents individuals and businesses in white collar criminal matters, congressional proceedings and investigations on Capitol Hill, and administrative actions by Executive Branch agencies. Second, John works creatively and proactively with businesses of all sizes to develop strategically targeted best practice compliance programs, thereby enabling these businesses to continue achieving competitive success in the marketplace even in the face of heightened scrutiny and potential enforcement actions by the Department of Justice and other federal agencies.

Professional Background

John began his legal career in 1987 at the Washington, D.C., law firm of Dunnells, Duvall, Bennett & Porter. During his two years at that firm, John worked closely with a number of partners who are widely recognized today as among the leaders of the white collar bar not just in Washington, D.C., but throughout the country.

From 1989 to 1992, John was an Assistant United States Attorney in Washington, D.C., and served in the Criminal Division's trial, appellate, and grand jury sections. His three-year experience as a federal prosecutor included more than 20 jury trials in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and the D.C. Superior Court. He briefed and argued more than 15 appeals in both the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the D.C. Court of Appeals. John also conducted grand jury investigations leading to indictments in more than 30 felony cases, including a police misconduct prosecution.

In 1992, John joined the Washington, D.C., law firm of Janis, Schuelke & Wechsler, which is nationally known for its white collar practice. In 1996, John became a partner of the firm. In 1998, he became the first lawyer in that firm, aside from the three name partners, to be elected to equity partner.

In January 2003, John opened his own law practice in Washington, D.C., upon the belief that there exists a demonstrable need for practitioners who are smart, sophisticated, and experienced, but who are able to contain their costs in a way that provides superior legal representation to individual and corporate clients at reasonable and affordable rates.

Personal

John earned his B.A. from Princeton University in 1980 and graduated with a degree in History magna cum laude. His senior thesis was a political biography of Thomas G. (“Tommy the Cork”) Corcoran, one of Franklin Roosevelt’s most influential advisors during the New Deal.  He attended UCLA Law School, where he was an editor of the UCLA Law Review. The subject of his Law Review Comment was a comparative analysis of price manipulation in the commodity futures markets under the Commodity Exchange Act and the Sherman Act. See 34 UCLA Law Review 1305 (1987). For his Comment, John received the school's C.J.S. Award for Significant Legal Scholarship. John graduated from UCLA Law School in 1987.

 

 

 

Senior Consultants are not associated with Berke Farah LLP in a continuing relationship as a partner, member, or of counsel capacity, and are available only on a case-by-case basis and not as a permanent, regular or ongoing presence at the Firm.