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John A. Price
Raleigh, North Carolina
[email protected]
214.722.5190 (direct)
214.981.9203 (fax)

Senior Partner​

John has extensive experience on a variety of complex business and commercial litigation matters, emphasizing antitrust, unfair trade practices, business torts, securities fraud, intellectual property, administrative law, franchise and distributorship controversies, and contractual disputes. John’s representative clientele includes individuals and a wide range of businesses across a variety of industries, including multi-national farm cooperatives, oil and gas companies, financial institutions, tech companies, franchisors, national distributors, publishing companies, airlines, software developers, pharmaceutical companies, and manufacturing firms.  

Coupled with his litigation background, John also has experience serving as general counsel for a national publishing corporation and membership on the boards of several corporations and non-profit organizations. As a result, he understands the needs of businesses faced with a broad range of complex legal and regulatory issues, and he is well equipped to counsel clients on risk analysis, legal/regulatory compliance, litigation avoidance and management, due diligence, IP protection, and making sound strategic decisions.

After law school, John served as law clerk to The Honorable Frank Theis, District Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, and then worked in private practice in Kansas City at the law firm of Weeks, Thomas & Lysaught. John later joined the law firm of Winstead in Dallas as a shareholder. During his tenure with Winstead, he served as head of the litigation and IP litigation sections. He was general counsel for Travelhost, Inc. before joining Calhoun, Bhella & Sechrest as one of its founding partners.

John is board certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is licensed to practice law in Kansas, Texas, and North Carolina. He has been a member of the Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas since 1992.  He has been named as a Texas Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers® and is rated AV Preeminent (5/5) for Legal Ability and Ethics by Marquis Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings. John was awarded the 2017 Marquis Who's Who Lifetime Achiever Award in the legal field.

John and his late wife, Diadra, are authors and co-founders of Wings of Spirit Foundation situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. John is the father of two children and has six grandchildren.

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

• Creation, management of implementation, and ongoing compliance review and monitoring of company-wide processes, procedures, and business/marketing practices for the then largest U.S. travel magazine distributorship, as well as handling all attendant legal/regulatory issues, administrative proceedings, and litigation.
• Served as outside litigation counsel to world's then largest farmer owned and operated cooperative in a variety of complex litigation matters, including successfully representing the interests of individual farmer and farm cooperatives in litigation and regulatory proceedings seeking to limit their ability to effectively take advantage of federal rules and regulations designed to enable farmers to compete with large multi-national grain and chemical corporations, as well as successful defense of lawsuit seeking $25 million damages for alleged breach of contraction in connection with purchase of output of 2 anhydrous ammonia plants.
• Represented a variety of clients in U.S. Department of Justice civil and criminal antitrust investigations/proceedings, as well as civil class actions and individual lawsuits, pertaining to price fixing and a variety of other anticompetitive behavior in the oil, dairy, plumbing, food supply, steel, soft drink bottling, and computer product industries - including participation in representing a major oil company  in the "Big Eight Case" seeking to massively restructure the country's petroleum industry.
• Represented trustee bank in class action lawsuit brought on behalf of returning Vietnam POW's and others in connection with nationwide modular home securities investment scheme.
• Represented major shareholder of publicly-held company in connection with alleged SEC insider trading securities violation resulting in finding of no violation.
• Managed structuring of statutory framework for establishment of tax exempt Port Authority Act to entice construction of automobile manufacturing plant; development of litigation strategy for obtaining expedited rulings of State's highest court on constitutionality; and active involvement in handling litigation solidifying legality of reconstituted authorizing act and tax exemption provisions enabling project to move forward through fruition.
• During the savings and loan crisis, oversaw and managed the orderly defense and successful disposition of over 3,500 lawsuits throughout country for and on behalf of banks who acquired  assets of 35 failed thrifts.
• Served as chief arbitrator of 3-member arbitration panel appointed by U.S. District Judge in dispute involving price redetermination under 4 gas purchase and supply contracts post-deregulation between Mesa Petroleum and Kansas Power & Light.  Arbitration award confirmed and adopted by U.S. District Court.
• Represented client in thwarting regional airline takeover attempt resulting in injunction, removal of airline management, and awarding of right to control of airline to client.
• Represented large coal mining company overturning administrative order of state corporation commission finding client in violation of Mined-Land Conservation & Reclamation Act.
• Represented regional hospital in dispute with large national health insurance carrier regarding continuing denials of certain hospital reimbursements for services deemed not to be "reasonable and necessary" in violation of applicable federal regulations.
• Prosecuted numerous state and federal lawsuits on behalf of major client for violations of non-compete agreements, tortious interference, and conspiracy, as well as successfully defending repeated legal challenges to the enforceability of client's non-compete agreements.
• Managed and participated in successful resolution of administrative proceeding against client arising from FTC's assertion of alleged non-compliance with the Franchise Act threatening to put client out of business.
• Represented nationally recognized rare coin dealer/expert in suit agains insurance carrier for failure to pay claim for substantial value of stolen coins, as well as participation with client, in conjunction with local and federal authorities, in sting operation to reclaim stolen coins from Columbian drug ring.
• Represented manufacturer of surface acoustic wave devices in successful conclusion to suit accusing client of chemical contamination of headers allegedly resulting in malfunctioning of devices and substantial damages to wholesale supplier's customers.
• Represented numerous clients on both sides in cases involving allegations of unfair competition, DTPA violations, fraud, misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duties, and various other related business torts.
• Defended and prosecuted trademark, copyright and patent infringement lawsuits (food packaging, restaurants, clothing, domain names, computer software, biotech, etc.), as well as cases involving alleged thefts of trade secrets and/or violations of confidentiality agreements.
• Represented landowners to enjoin potential adverse environmental impacts on clients' property rights, as well as prosecution of inverse condemnation litigation against local and federal governmental agency actions causing substantial diminution in value of clients' property interests without just compensation.
• Representation of entertainment equipment client in drafting and reviewing various forms of contracts with companies like Disney and Universal Studios, product terms and warranties, EULAs, etc.

PROFESSIONAL HONORS

• Named “Legal Elite,” Outstanding Attorneys, by the Business North Carolina Magazine (2021)
• Named "Legal Elite,” Antitrust Law, by the Business North Carolina Magazine (2022-2024)
• Who's Who in American Law
• Who's Who in America; Men of Achievement
• Who's Who in Litigation, Dallas Business Journal (1993)
• Marquis Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement Award (2017)
• Texas Super Lawyer, Texas Monthly and Law & Politics Magazines (2003-2008)
• Rated AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 for Legal Ability and Ethics by Marquis Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings for 30 Consecutive Years
• Member, Pro Bono College of State Bar of Texas (1992 to present)

SPEECHES AND PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS

• NOTE, The Latest Chapter in the Continuing Controversy Regarding Professional Service Corporations - The Roubik Case, 19 Kan. L. Rev. 349 (1970).
• COMMENT, Wyman Y. James: Welfare's at the Door, 19 Kan. L. Rev. 486 (1971).
• Federal District Court Opinion Digests for Kansas Bar Journal (1978-1982).
• State Bar of Texas Professional Development Program, Selected Issues in Law 1989 Analyses -- 1990 Forecast: "The 'SUPERPOWERS' OF THE AGENCIES - The D'Oench, Duhme Doctrine, 12 U.S.C. 1823(e) and the Federal Holder in Due Course Doctrine" (Houston and Austin 1989).
• State Bar of Texas Professional Development Program, 13th Annual Advanced Civil Trial Course, "Litigation Involving the FDIC" (Dallas 1990).
• Dallas United Nations Association, Human Rights Expo, "The Rule of Law and Human Rights" (Dallas 1990 & 1991).

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BAR ADMISSIONS
Texas
Kansas
North Carolina
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COURT ADMISSIONS
U.S. District Courts in Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and North Carolina
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
Supreme Court of the United States of America

EDUCATION

• Northwest Missouri State University, B.S., 1969 [Student Union Board President (1967-1969); Blue Key National Honorary Fraternity; and Who's Who at Northwest Missouri State University]
• The University of Kansas School of Law, J.D., 1972 [Order of the Coif; Kansas Law Review (Associate Editor)]