Daniel V. Johns

Daniel V. Johns leads Ballard Spahr's Higher Education Group. Mr. Johns represents employers and management in a variety of labor and employment issues, including discrimination, harassment, and other civil rights litigation; interest and grievance arbitrations; at-will litigation; restrictive covenant/trade secret claims; ERISA litigation; collective bargaining; union avoidance; and unfair labor practice litigation before the NLRB and state agencies.

Mr. Johns has significant experience serving the legal needs of research universities and institutions. He successfully represented three universities in their graduate students' organization efforts. In addition, he provides day-to-day traditional labor and employment counseling, as well as representation in employment litigation, for one of the largest university employers in Pennsylvania and the health system it operates.  

Pro Bono Experience

Mr. Johns regularly advises nonprofits and has provided pro bono legal services for the Community Learning Center for several years.

Professional Activities

American Bar Association

Pennsylvania Bar Association

Labor Law Journal, Editorial Board

Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Planning Committees for Labor Law Symposium and Employment Law Institute

Recognition & Accomplishments

Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, "Up and Coming," labor and employment law, 2012

The Best Lawyers in America, employment law, labor and employment litigation, 2012-2013

AV Peer Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell

Publications

"Playing with Cards: The Incompatibility of the Employee Free Choice Act and the National Labor Relations Board's Current Doctrines and Practices Governing Union Authorization Cards," Labor Law Journal, Spring 2009

"Action Should Follow Words: Assessing the Arbitral Response to Zero-Tolerance Workplace Violence Policies," 24 Ohio St. J. on Disp. Resol., 2008/2009

"The Employee Free Choice Act: The Unanswered Questions," Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, November 2008

"Promises, Promises: Rethinking the NLRB's Distinction between Employer and Union Promises during Representation Campaigns," 10 U. Pa. J. Bus. & Emp. Law 433, April 2008

"A Square Peg and a Round Hole: The Application of Weingarten Rights to Employee Drug and Alcohol Testing," 28 Pace L. Rev. 33, 2007

Co-author, "Graduate Students, Unions and Brown University," 20 The Labor Lawyer 243, 2004

Speaking Engagements

Frequent lecturer on labor and employment issues before the:

Industrial Relations Resource Association, Philadelphia Chapter

National Employment Law Institute

National Association of College and University Attorneys

Pennsylvania Bar Institute's Employment Law Institute

Pennsylvania Bar Institute's Private and Public Sector Labor Law Symposia

Community Activities

Graduate, Philadelphia Leadership, a program designed to enhance civic knowledge and enrich leadership skills

Board Memberships

Community Learning Center (nonprofit organization providing literacy services to North Philadelphia residents), President

University of Virginia School of Law (J.D. 1995)
Notes Editor, Virginia Environmental Law Journal; Member, Order of the Coif

University of Notre Dame (B.A. 1992, with highest honors)
Member, Phi Beta Kappa

Pennsylvania

U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

U.S. Supreme Court