In complex business, technology, and intellectual property matters involving parties and interests around the country and beyond, John DeGroote has served as a mediator and arbitrator in significant disputes since 2013. His experience as a litigator, corporate counsel and business executive brings rare and valuable perspective to dispute resolution.
Mr. DeGroote previously served as chief litigation counsel to KPMG Consulting, LLC/BearingPoint, Inc., a $3 billion global consulting firm with as many as 17,000 employees, for over eight years. He later became the company’s chief legal officer and, ultimately, its president. Prior to KPMG Consulting, John practiced with a nationally known litigation boutique and a major Texas law firm, representing plaintiffs and defendants in complex commercial and intellectual property litigation matters.
In 2009, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York appointed Mr. DeGroote to serve as the liquidating trustee to the BearingPoint, Inc. Liquidating Trust. In the time since, he has been appointed and retained to manage various estates, claims, and special situations around the country. He has served as lead settlement negotiator in hundreds of cases, mediating and negotiating settlements on behalf of corporate and individual clients in more than 20 states.
Mr. DeGroote graduated from the Duke University School of Law in 1990. Before that, he received his B.A. from Mississippi State University in 1986. He received his mediation training from Pepperdine University’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution in 2005 and arbitration training from the AAA in 2012.