John A. Conkle

Background & Education

Mr. Conkle graduated from the Ohio State University in 1971, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a major in Accounting. Following service as a line officer in the United States Navy, he attended the University of Cincinnati College of Law, graduating in 1977. While at Cincinnati, he earned a number of academic awards in administrative law and other subjects and served as Executive Editor of the University of Cincinnati Law Review.

Mr. Conkle practiced for seven years with a large Washington D.C. law firm where he was involved in major antitrust, consumer deception, trade regulation and complex commercial matters and investigations for numerous Fortune 100 companies. His Washington practice also included administrative proceedings before the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Energy Office of Hearings and Appeals, the Department of the Treasury Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the Wages and Price Council and state regulatory bodies.

Mr. Conkle’s practice in Los Angeles includes continued work for clients first represented in Washington, as well as for other California-based and national clients. Significant matters have included representation of Jordache Enterprises, Inc. in major patent, insurance and malpractice cases, ongoing representations of a large national publisher in first amendment and other matters, ongoing representations of one of the world’s largest providers of computer services, frequent work for one of the largest providers of building control and automation systems, representation of several of the nation’s largest food processors, and of numerous entities in the personal care products market. These matters have arisen in state and federal courts and in administrative agencies from New York to California. Mr. Conkle has been active in arbitration and mediation matters and making presentations regarding Alternative Dispute Resolution procedures and litigation of trade secret matters to American Bar Association conferences of in-house and outside counsel.
Mr. Conkle has argued numerous appellate matter in the California Supreme Court, the California Court of Appeal and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, including Wang Laboratories, Inc. v. Kagan, 990 F.2d 1126 (9th Cir. 1993); Jordache Enterprises, Inc. v. Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, 49 Cal. App. 4th 609 (1996) and 18 Cal. 4th 739 (1998) & 1999 WL 33842865.