Former Merck & Co. VP Joins Jackson Lewis

      NEW YORK, NY (April 30, 2012)  –  Jackson Lewis LLP, one of the country’s largest and fastest-growing workplace law firms, is pleased to announce John L. Sander has joined the firm in New York as Partner. Mr. Sander brings to Jackson Lewis over 15 years of senior management experience in employment and labor counseling and litigation within the U.S. and globally.

Mr. Sander joins Jackson Lewis from Merck & Co., Inc. where, as Vice President and Associate General Counsel, he managed major employment and labor matters outside the U.S. after its merger with Schering Plough in 2009.  He joined Schering Plough in 1995 where he was Vice President and Associate General Counsel managing the group responsible for employment, labor and immigration within the U.S. and globally. He also managed the compliance, commercial litigation, and corporate security groups at various times while with Schering-Plough.  Before going in-house, Mr. Sander practiced law at the Paul Hastings and Cahill Gordon firms.    

“John’s experience in the international employment law arena is the perfect fit for Jackson Lewis, for our international practice, and our L&E Global Alliance,” said Patrick L. Vaccaro, firm-wide Managing Partner. “I know of no other boutique firm practicing in this space that can match the experience and expertise John brings to the table.  As a founding member of the L&E Global alliance of employment law firms, we searched far and wide for an in-house practitioner to complement our own efforts and to serve as an important resource for our network of partner firms. John will devote his full-time energies to working with our L&E Global partners to bring the very best international representation to clients and prospective clients. As a former in-house practitioner for a major multi-national corporation, he is keenly aware of the challenges facing international employment counsel and has worked with many of the leading firms all over the world.  We are excited to have him join us.”

“I am delighted to join Jackson Lewis and help expand the firm’s already impressive international employment law practice,” said Mr. Sander. “The changing economics of global businesses, along with increased scrutiny and ever shifting standards of legal compliance, demand skilled representation and counsel.  I am familiar with many of the outstanding practitioners that are part of L&E Global and I am eager to partner with them and make a meaningful contribution.”      

Stephan C. Swinkels, Executive Director of L&E Global, based in Brussels, added, “This is a fantastic development not only for Jackson Lewis, but for the entire L&E Global alliance. John will offer a valuable perspective on the complex issues facing multi-national corporations and will bolster our ability to provide integrated solutions in the international marketplace. All of us look forward to working with someone who ‘speaks the language’ of the international business community.”  

In addition to his international employment law and other in-house legal experience, Mr. Sander has engaged in a wide range of Bar and community activities.  He is President of the Pro Bono Partnership; Vice Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce Commission on Arbitration; a past member of the Board of Directors for the New Jersey Corporate Counsel Association; and a  speaker and panelist for numerous industry groups.  He earned both his A.B. (magna cum laude) and J.D. degrees from Cornell University, where he served as Article Editor for the Cornell Law Review.  He also attended Harvard University with a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship where he earned an A.M. degree.   

About Jackson Lewis

Founded in 1958, Jackson Lewis, dedicated to representing management exclusively in workplace law, is one of the fastest growing workplace law firms in the U.S., with 700 attorneys practicing in 49 locations nationwide.  Jackson Lewis has been recognized by in-house counsel of Fortune 1000 companies, after a comprehensive survey, as “the single highest-ranked firm clients want by their side in employment battles.”  Jackson Lewis is ranked in the First Tier nationally in the category of Labor and Employment Litigation, as well as in both Employment Law and Labor Law on behalf of Management in the U.S. News – Best Lawyers ® “Best Law Firms,” and is recognized by Chambers and Legal 500.  As an AmLaw 100 firm, Jackson Lewis has one of the most active employment litigation practices in the United States, with a current caseload of over 5000 litigations and 300 class actions.  Jackson Lewis is a founding member of L & E Global Employers’ Counsel Worldwide, an alliance of the leading workplace law boutiques practicing around the world. Additional information about Jackson Lewis can be found at www.jacksonlewis.com.

About L&E Global

L&E Global, aninternational integrated allianceof premier labor and employment law boutiques, exclusively focuses on providing counsel on cross-border labor and employment issues. The alliance operates in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region.  

L&E Global’s member firms offer deep experience in a broad array of sectors and markets, including financial and insurance services, high tech, pharmaceutical, telecommunications and information services, luxury goods, retail and energy.