John Greer, M.A., Esq. (Ret.)
Professor John Greer has extensive legal and dispute resolution skills and experience from many years of legal practice and as an ADR professional.
Professor Greer learned the importance of good drafting skills early in his education. As a graduate Teaching Assistant at Cornell University, he was trained as a writing instructor. After law school, he went into private practice translating client interests into negotiated and other agreements, including a wide range of real estate, estates and trusts, and commercial documents. These skills proved immensely valuable when drafting federal legislation: John served as a legislative attorney in the Intelligence Community, rising to Legislative Counsel at the National Security Agency where he authored significant national security laws.
In his teaching, Professor Greer draws on a deep background in the ADR field:
- Mediation: Professor Greer is a Member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. He is certified as a mediator by the Maryland Council for Dispute Resolution. He is a roster mediator for the Better Business Bureau, as well for a number of circuit courts in Maryland. Professor Greer is one of a handful of mediators in the state admitted to court rosters for complex business and technology cases. He formerly served as a mediator for the National Security Agency and mediated cases for other Intelligence Community agencies.
- Arbitration: Professor Greer is an arbitrator for the Better Business Bureau as well as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority handling disputes in the securities industry.
- Negotiation: Negotiating federal legislation involved complex multi-party issues, including those of the Department of Defense, the White House, both Houses of Congress, and private industry.
- Dispute Resolution Process Reviewer and Designer: As NSA's Senior Counsel, Professor Greer reviewed the Agency's dispute resolution processes. He designed and implemented an innovative process to quickly and fairly resolve employee complaints about their performance ratings.
A 1987 graduate of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, John received his M.A. in history from Cornell University in 1979 and his B.A. in history from Colgate University in 1977. He is admitted to the Maryland bar. He owns and operates a dispute resolution practice (Patuxent Mediation Services, LLC; www.patuxentmediation.com).