• jslates@slatesharwell.com
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EDUCATION

B.A., Southern Methodist University, magna cum laude (1992)

J.D., Georgetown University Law Center (1995)

John Slates

Partner

John W. Slates is Board Certified in Construction Law and a founding partner of Slates Harwell Campbell LLP. He represents general contractors and owner/developers in high-stakes litigation, arbitration, and complex contract negotiations. With almost 30 years of experience, John is a trusted legal adviser who helps clients navigate disputes, protect business interests, and close major deals.

A seasoned advocate, John’s courtroom and arbitration hearing successes have been recognized by the National Law Journal‘s Top 100 Verdicts and VerdictSearch‘s Top Texas Verdicts. John has also argued and won before the Texas Supreme Court in Lennar Corporation v. Markel American Insurance Company, a significant construction insurance coverage case. John finds that his skills as an advocate are improved by his experience as a regularly appointed arbitrator of construction cases in his capacity on the National Panel of Construction Arbitrators of the American Arbitration Association.

In addition to his dispute resolution practice, John advises clients on transactional matters covering all aspects of the construction industry. Since co-founding Slates Harwell Campbell in 2013, he has negotiated more than $13 billion in design and construction contracts.

John is fully engaged in the construction industry, the construction law bar, and his community. He serves on the board of TEXO (the North Texas joint chapter of the Associated General Contractors and Associated Builders & Contractors) and has previously served on the Council of the State Bar of Texas Construction Law Section, and as a Council member and the Chair of the Dallas Bar Association, Construction Law Section. John is also a member of the American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law. His community involvement includes extended service on the board of directors of Preservation Dallas, Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity, and the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center (“DCAC”) with terms as the board chair of both Preservation Dallas and DCAC. John is also honored to be a member of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, which hosts the PGA’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson Classic golf tournament that benefits the Momentous Institute charity.

A 1995 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, John spent 18 years at an Am Law 200 firm — where he chaired the construction law practice — before launching Slates Harwell Campbell.

Outside of the practice of law, John enjoys cooking and is consistently working to improve on not leaving a mess behind when he does.