John D. Winter is a nationally recognized litigator with more than 35 years' experience serving as lead counsel for several mass tort settlements as well as many arbitrations and trials. Mr. Winter has negotiated the resolution of global, firm inventory, and individual settlements of many thousands of cases and claims and has tried or argued the appeal of more than 50 product liability cases in federal and state courts throughout the United States. He has also acted as national counsel for pharmaceutical, consumer product, and medical device manufacturers in consolidated proceedings in state and federal courts.

Mr. Winter has been praised by Chambers & Partners for being “an excellent all-around lawyer, who is very good at analyzing issues” and for “his knowledge of and for the inner workings of court and his overall knowledge of rules and statutes.” Clients told Chambers, "John is an excellent lawyer in the product liability space."

In addition to his products liability work, Mr. Winter has served as lead counsel for arbitrations and trials in various other areas including commercial law, civil rights, employment, ERISA, insurance, and real estate.

Bar Admissions

• U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit; Fourth Circuit; Fifth Circuit; Seventh Circuit; Eighth Circuit; Ninth Circuit; Eleventh Circuit
• U.S. District Court, Southern, Eastern, Western, and Northern Districts of New York; Northern District of Illinois
• New York

Education

• Fordham University School of Law (J.D., 1981)
  • Editor-in-Chief, Fordham Urban Law Journal
• University of Pennsylvania (M.A., 1978)
• University of Pennsylvania (B.A., cum laude, 1978)

MEMBERSHIPS: Member, New York State Bar Association

HONORS: Nationally recognized by Chambers USA in the area of Products Liability; Recognized by Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC’s Benchmark Litigation as a “Litigation Star”

• "First National Vaccine Law Conference: Papers and Proceedings," (February 2024)
• "Vaccine-Related Liability: Past Approaches, Current Challenges, and Proposals for Encouraging Future Innovation and More Widespread Vaccine Use," Food and Drug Law Journal (October 2021)
• "Trial in the Commercial Division," Bloomberg Law: New York Commercial Division Practice Guide (2019)
• "Toward a Global Solution on Vaccine Liability and Compensation," Food and Drug Law Journal (March 2019)
• “The Federal Court in New York: 225 Years and Counting,” U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, History of the Southern District (March 2014)
• "Retelling the History of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York," NY Litigator, Volume 17, Number 1 (Summer 2012)
• “The Admission of Government Agency Reports under Federal Rule of Evidence 803(8)(c),” Mass Torts, Volume 7, Number 2 (Spring 2009)
• “Is it Time to Abandon FDA’s No Release from Liability Regulation for Clinical Studies?” Food and Drug Law Journal (Summer 2008)
• Individual Practices of Judges and Magistrate Judges in the Southern District of New York, NY Litigation (Summer 2008)
• "Federal Preemption in the Medical Device Area," Food, Drug, Cosmetic and Medical Device Law Digest (January 1991)