John W. Ursu
Aggressive, creative, and — above all — effective, John’s approach to establishing and controlling case dynamics is unique.
In the last five years, John has led teams that have achieved threshold dismissals in cases involving more than $5 billion of potential liability, including third-party complaints in multi-district litigation and consolidated state litigation, putative class actions, a CAFA-removed mass action, and a consolidated mass-tort state action. Recently, he secured complete victory at a final arbitration hearing on behalf of a manufacturer defending $30 million in fraud and breach-of-warranty claims. John is proud to represent some of the finest companies in the world. As the general counsel of a Greene Espel client once said of John, “You could hire someone else to set the strategy for your case. But why take the risk?”
Numerous national publications have recognized John’s approach to complex litigation or client service. According to Benchmark Litigation: The Definitive Guide to America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys, John “has made a name for himself managing complex business disputes.” John has been named a BTI Client Service All-Star, which “honors the individuals able to stand out in the sea of legal services providers to represent the cream of the crop.” To be a BTI Client Service All-Star, a lawyer must be “single[d] out . . . by name and in an unprompted manner—as delivering the absolute best client service. . . . Clients have the final—and only—say.” John has likewise been described as a “top litigator” in Law360 and his national commercial practice has been listed in Best Lawyers in America. While practicing in courts nationwide — from Louisiana to East St. Louis, from Mississippi to Kansas City — he has also been recognized locally as a Minnesota SuperLawyer and as a Benchmark Litigation"Local Litigation Star.”
John prosecutes and defends cases involving the integration of new technology. John is a court-appointed member of the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee for In re Syngenta, a multi-district litigation in the District of Kansas regarding the commercialization of new genetically modified corn seeds. In that litigation, John represents the largest grain exporter in the world. He has likewise handled major software licensing, implementation, and warranty disputes. An outstanding case architect, John’s cases have again and again turned on matters of first impression resolved in favor of Greene Espel’s clients.
John is regarded as an “extremely eloquent” written and oral advocate. John has argued seven times against a former U.S. Supreme Court Clerk or top member of the DC appellate bar — on subjects such as federal preemption and the federal common law of foreign relations — and he has won each time. Known for his engaging and authoritative style, John often argues on behalf of joint-prosecution or joint-defense groups in high-stakes litigation. Recently, he argued successfully on behalf of nearly ten thousand removed plaintiffs in a multi-district litigation and, separately — and also, successfully — on behalf of a joint-defense group comprised of some of the largest and most prominent corporations in the agricultural world. In those cases, like every other, John’s representation was marked by a tireless will to win.
John graduated from the University of Michigan Law School where he was Managing Editor of the Michigan Law Review. While at Michigan, with Catherine M.A. Carroll, he won the Henry M. Campbell Moot Court Competition, which the university describes as “one of the highest honors a Michigan law student can achieve." John won several other awards while at Michigan, including the Jason L. Honigman award for his contributions to the Law Review over two years. John serves on the Board of Directors of Neighborhood Justice Center in St. Paul — one of the oldest public-defender organizations in Minnesota — where he and his colleagues handle felony cases on a pro bono basis. John and his wife live in Golden Valley with their three daughters and a dog named Moxie.
John's complete bio including his representative matters and admissions can be found here.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402
