Lawyer Overview

John Batter is a partner in the firm's Litigation/Controversy and Securities Departments, and a member of the Securities Litigation and Enforcement Practice Group and the Business Trial Group. He joined the firm in 1982 and is a member of the firm’s Associates Committee. Mr. Batter’s practice focuses on the defense of public and private companies and their directors and management against breach of fiduciary duty claims and securities fraud allegations, including those arising out of IPOs. He also has extensive experience handling the defense of SEC investigations and the unique issues presented by class actions.

Practice

Mr. Batter represents high technology and other public and private companies, which have included a national NYSE retailer, Raytheon, Canaccord Adams, Gulf Oil, Cumberland Farms, Vonage, Chicago Bridge & Iron, Michaels Stores, Peritus Software Services, Akamai Technologies, Copley Pharmaceuticals, Storage Technology, and Avid. Clients rely on Mr. Batter to defend securities claims as well as to provide counsel on corporate governance matters and in connection with SEC, FINRA, FDIC and state regulatory investigations. 

In addition to advising clients in securities matters, Mr. Batter represents companies involved in litigation arising from consumer class actions and software or other technology licensing disputes. 

Professional Activities

Mr. Batter has served as a panelist for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education programs entitled "Securities Litigation Demystified," "The Private Securities Reform Act of 1995" and "Fundamentals of Civil Litigation Preparation." He is a primary author of the chapter entitled "Federal Securities Litigation in the First Circuit" in MCLE Massachusetts Business Lawyer, and has addressed a Boston Bar Association forum on "Important Developments Since the Enactment of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995." In addition, he served as a volunteer supervising attorney for a landlord-tenant class action brought by the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau.

Mr. Batter is a visiting teacher at MIT's Sloan School of Management, co-teaching since 1984 a course entitled "The Manager's Legal Function."

He also serves on the Board of Overseers of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole and is a member of the Board of Directors of the New England Legal Foundation, a non-profit public interest firm addressing policy concerns related to free enterprise.

Honors and Awards

Mr. Batter is recognized as a "New England Super Lawyer" (formerly "Massachusetts Super Lawyer") in securities litigation in Boston Magazine's annual listing. He is also recognized as a top litigation attorney in the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 editions of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.

Community Involvement

Mr. Batter is a former member of the Finance Committee for the Town of Weston, and served as chair of the town’s Committee to Study Uses and Space Needs for Public Lands and Buildings.

Areas of Practice

• Securities
• Securities Litigation
• Business Trial Group
• Litigation/Controversy
• Litigation and Enforcement

Representative Cases

• Anadigics, Inc. v. Raytheon Company , (US District Court for the Southern District of New York)
• Tropix Inc. v. Lumigen, Inc. , (US District Court for the District of Massachusetts)

West Practice Categories

Securities Law

Bar Admissions

• Massachusetts

Education

• Harvard Law School, 1982
  JD
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1978
  SB, Management Science

Published Works

• Securities Litigation Bulletin, 1996

Address

60 State Street
Boston, MA 02109

Phones

+1 617 526 6754 (Business Phone)

Faxes

+1 617 526 5000 (Business Fax)

Emails

Contact Us (Business Email)

Websites

www.wilmerhale.com