After decades of counseling clients and dispensing advice (and sometimes trying cases) involving construction, family disputes, employment discrimination, bankruptcy, 93A issues, sanitary landfills, land use and permitting and all manner of real estate transactions, John now concentrates on preparing his clients and the affordable housing industry for the future, whether it is "succession planning" or drafting documents which survive the test of time.

Having authored zoning decisions for municipal boards as well as legislation and regulations at federal and state levels, John is renown for his mantra "words matter," emphasizing the art of careful drafting of legal transaction documents of every description (for example, letters of intent, purchase agreements, partnership and joint venture agreements).

In recent years, John has served as Chair of Preservation Massachusetts and has been a member of the Board of Directors of the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association (NHRA). In 2018, John was awarded the "Vision Award" by NHRA for his contribution to affordable housing. More recently, he was named to theNational Law Journal’s list of 2021 Real Estate/Construction Law Trailblazers.