John Dean stands out as a seasoned attorney with over thirty-five years of legal experience in the Bay Area. His career as a John Dean Lawyer showcases a remarkable breadth of expertise, initially rooted in criminal defense and evolving to encompass significant roles in labor law, negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. This profile explores the distinguished career of John Dean, highlighting his journey from defending major felonies to becoming a leading figure in labor relations and alternative dispute resolution.
Dean began his legal journey establishing a criminal defense practice in Oakland, California. His early career focused on the demanding field of major felonies, including complex cases involving controlled substances and violent crimes. This period honed his trial skills and established his reputation as a formidable John Dean lawyer in the criminal justice system.
Transitioning from criminal law, Dean took on a significant leadership role as President of a large wholesale/retail bakery for eleven years. This experience provided him with invaluable insights into business operations and management-side labor relations. His responsibilities included high-stakes negotiations of collective bargaining agreements with five labor unions and crucial agreements with major national clients, including prominent hotel chains, restaurants, hospitals, and educational institutions. This unique experience of representing “management” provided a crucial perspective shift that would inform his later career.
In 1998, John Dean moved “across the table,” leveraging his extensive experience to represent labor. He joined the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), a major nationwide labor union representing nearly 60,000 professional airline pilots. Over eighteen years with ALPA, Dean ascended to the position of Senior Labor Relations Counsel. In this capacity, he became a leading John Dean lawyer within the labor movement, training hundreds of pilot negotiators and skillfully negotiating numerous complex airline pilot labor agreements. He further contributed to the field by developing continuing education programs for staff attorneys and assisting in the creation of the National Mediation Board’s acclaimed online grievance mediation program.
Dean’s expertise extended to dispute resolution, serving as lead attorney in numerous arbitrations, encompassing both interest arbitrations and disciplinary matters. His deep criminal trial background proved invaluable in representing pilots in contested administrative hearings before the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). He handled numerous high-profile cases involving accidents, serious operational incidents, and allegations of substance abuse, further solidifying his reputation as a highly capable and versatile John Dean lawyer.
Parallel to his legal practice, John Dean has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Hastings since 2006, contributing to the education of future lawyers. He is a sought-after instructor and panelist in continuing legal education programs for lawyers, focusing on negotiation, mediation, alternative dispute resolution, and legal ethics. He has participated in programs sponsored by prestigious organizations such as the American Bar Association, California Continuing Education of the Bar, the Practising Law Institute, and various state bar organizations. Additionally, he serves as a negotiation consultant to law firms, sharing his wealth of practical experience.
Currently, Mr. Dean serves as a court-appointed and private mediator and arbitrator, effectively resolving commercial disputes, employment and harassment claims, and personal injury claims. His diverse background as a John Dean lawyer uniquely positions him to understand and mediate a wide range of complex legal issues.
John Dean is a graduate of both Hastings College of the Law and UC Berkeley. He resides in San Francisco with his wife, Susan, a retired registered nurse/MBA. His family includes two children who have followed in his footsteps in the legal profession: his son Michael is an attorney in Silicon Valley, and his daughter Melissa is an attorney with a major sports league in New York City. This family legacy underscores John Dean’s enduring commitment to the legal field and his profound impact as a John Dean lawyer.
