U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

Senior Staff Biographies

General Counsel

John Maher

Mr. Maher brings diversified experience, spanning the military, public service, education, and private practice, to his position as General Counsel.

A magna cum laude law graduate, John began his legal career as a prosecutor with the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps serving in Germany and the Balkans, where he prosecuted over forty felony trials to verdict and deployed as legal advisor to American forces during a United Nations peacekeeping mission. As an appellate attorney, he represented clients before military and civilian appellate courts in Washington, D.C.

Upon completion of active duty, he transitioned to the JAG Corps Reserves and served as a trial attorney with the United States Department of Justice in Washington. There, he defended executive department and agency procurements in government contract challenges, federal labor and employment appeals, and inernational trade cases.

Returning to his home in Chicago, he practiced for several years as a litigation associate with one of the world's largest law firms representing Forturne 100 companies, and, was most recently a partner in an AmLaw 100 firm where he concentrated in commercial litigation with an emphasis in patent and pharmaceutical litigation.

For the past 12 years, John has been an assistant professor of undergraduate law, and has served as an adjunct faculty member for The John Marshall Law School where he taught pretrial litigation and discovery. He continues to serve in the Army JAG Corps Reserves and is actively pursuing an LL.M.