John J. Hare

Chair, Appellate Advocacy and Post-Trial Practice
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John is a member of the firm’s Board of Directors and chair of the fifteen-attorney Appellate Advocacy and Post-Trial Practice Group. He has litigated more than 500 appeals in state and federal appellate courts. As litigation counsel, John has represented individuals, insurers, and corporations in some of the most high-profile litigation in recent Pennsylvania history, including dozens of cases with verdicts and settlements in excess of $10 million. As amicus curiae counsel, John has represented a diverse clientele, including the United States Chamber of Commerce, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, the American Medical Association, the Pennsylvania Medical Society, the Pennsylvania Defense Institute, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, other Pennsylvania lawyers, and academics interested in the outcome of appellate litigation.

John is actively involved in the Pennsylvania legal community. He has edited and co-authored two books on Pennsylvania appellate courts. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; Life and Law in the Commonwealth, 1684-2017, was published by the Pennsylvania State University Press in 2018. Keystone of Justice: The Pennsylvania Superior Court, 1895-1995, was published by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 2000.  

John serves by appointment of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania as the co-chair of the Court’s Historical Commission and on the Commission on Judicial Independence, a group of state and federal judges, academics, and attorneys who work to promote public awareness of the importance of a strong, independent judiciary in a free society. He also spent six years on the Supreme Court’s Civil Procedural Rules Committee, the last two years as chair, and served on the Board of Governors of the Bar Association of the Third Federal Circuit and as co-chair of the Amicus Curiae Committee of the Pennsylvania Defense Institute. He also serves on the advisory board of Ohlbaum on the Pennsylvania Rules of Evidence (Lexis-Nexis) and regularly speaks at appellate court events and continuing legal education seminars.

Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazine has repeatedly recognized John as a Top 100 lawyer in both Philadelphia and Pennsylvania based on a peer selection and evaluation process. He has also been selected as a Super Lawyer in the area of appellate practice every year since 2008. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel, and has an AV Preeminent (5.0/5.0) rating by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating for professional competence.

John is regularly called upon by the media to provide insight and commentary on significant legal issues. To view recent articles in which John is quoted, click the Thought Leadership tab and scroll down to the Media Commentary section.
 

Admissions
Pennsylvania
1994
Supreme Court of the United States
U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court Middle District of Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court Western District of Pennsylvania
U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit
Education
Princeton University (coursework completed for Ph.D., 1999)
University of California, Berkeley (M.A., 1998)
Duquesne University School of Law (J.D., 1993; Editor, Duquesne Law Review)
Indiana University of Pennsylvania (B.A., magna cum laude, 1990)
Honors & awards
The Best Lawyers in America©, Appellate Practice
2024-2025
Pennsylvania Super Lawyers
2008-2025; Top 100 in Pennsylvania, 2018-2025; Top 100 in Philadelphia, 2018-2025
Philadelphia Business Journal, Best of the Bar Award, 2023 and 2018
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Influencers of Law Award, 2019
Associations & memberships
American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, Fellow, 2016
Bar Association for the Third Federal Circuit
International Association of Defense Counsel, 2018
Pennsylvania Bar Association
Pennsylvania Defense Institute, 2008
Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Civil Procedural Rules Committee, 2015-2021; Chair, 2019-2021
Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Historical Commission, Co-Chair, 2023
Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Commission on Judicial Independence, 2024