John M. McFarland

Overview

John M. McFarland is a partner in our Kansas City office where he focuses his practice on federal and state court civil litigation, including disputes in the intellectual property, labor and employment, and general tort and business/contract disputes. He has broad and deep experience in a sophisticated and complex business litigation environment.

Prior to joining CMDA, Mr. McFarland served as the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of a group of affiliated companies specializing in commercial and industrial packaging and point-of-purchase displays. He first-chaired all litigation in which any of his client companies was a plaintiff or defendant. This litigation focused primarily on patent and trademark infringement, trade secret and confidential business information misappropriation, contract breach, employee covenant enforcement, and insurance coverage disputes. When not litigating for his corporate clients, Mr. McFarland was responsible for developing proprietary contract templates, drafting and negotiating major acquisition contracts, and drafting and reviewing all plant contracts for equipment, goods, inventory, and services. Further, he addressed all labor and employment law issues for a workforce of approximately 500 employees, including developing personnel policies, creating employee non-disclosure agreements, negotiating patent/trademark license agreements, administering the company’s 401(k) plan, supervising workers’ compensation claims administration, and monitoring and enforcing all safety standards imposed by law and applicable industry ISO.

Prior to his years as a Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel, Mr. McFarland was a civil litigator / equity partner in two major Kansas City law firms, where he tried to verdict the entire spectrum of business disputes. His years of intense corporate, litigation, and supervisory experience, as well as his effective communication skills and thoroughness, are great assets upon which he draws to serve his clients.