Attorney Profiles

John Powers is a founding partner of the firm of Powers and Santola, LLP. His practice is limited to the representation of catastrophically injured individuals, a field of law in which he has more than 35 years of experience. For more than 25 consecutive years, Mr. Powers has repeatedly been selected by his peers as one of "The Best Lawyers in America". He is listed in the "Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers"; has been selected for inclusion in New York Super Lawyers; named one of the New York Area's Top Lawyers in New York Magazine; and selected as one of The Top 100 Trial Lawyers in New York State by The American Trial Lawyers Association.

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Albany Law School, John is a nationally recognized authority on the medical and legal aspects of catastrophic injury.

He is the Co-Founder and a former President of the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers; a former President of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association; a former President of the Capital District Trial Lawyers Association; a former Chair of the Trial Lawyers Section of the New York State Bar Association and has served as a member of the House of Delegates of the NYSBA since 2007. John served as a member of the national Board of Governors of the American Association for Justice [AAJ] from 1990 until 2004 and served two terms as a member of the association's Executive Committee.

He is one of only 43 lawyers in the nation to be granted the status of Life Member in AAJ. John is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Academy of Trial Advocacy, has been awarded the rank of Advocate by the American Board of Trial Advocates and currently serves as the Vice-President of the Albany Chapter of ABOTA.

In addition to his service to the legal profession, John served as First Vice-President of the New York State Brain Injury Association and has been granted Life Membership in both that organization and the National Brain Injury Association.

A Co-Founder of the National College of Advocacy and former President of the New York State Trial Lawyers Institute, John is in frequent demand as a speaker, particularly in the area of advocating on behalf of individuals who have suffered catastrophic injuries. In the past, he has served as a chairperson or lecturer at more than 400 programs throughout the United States and Canada.

John has published many books, chapters and articles on legal issues, including a chapter in The National Head Injury Foundation Guide to the: "Analysis, Understanding and Presentation of Cases Involving Traumatic Brain Injury."

Profession: Attorney; Practice limited to the representation of catastrophically injured individuals.