John Vernon

Mr. Vernon is a practicing attorney, licensed in Texas, Utah, and the District of Columbia, with Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, who advises and counsels clients on cross-border international and domestic transactions, international trade, and international franchising. He has taught seminars and spoken as a guest lecturer at law schools both in the US and in many other countries. Mr. Vernon is also adjunct faculty to the SMU Dedman School of Law.

Mr. Vernon has taken an active role in dealing with human rights issues both in the US and abroad. He is involved with Texas Appleseed, where he participates in the pro bono representation of juveniles in the state of Texas who were denied representation of counsel in crucial detention hearings. In addition, he is a member of the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute, a leading voice in international human rights and the promotion of the rule of law, where he works closely with other international counsel and foreign bar associations reviewing and making comment to Human Rights Institute investigations being conducted in countries with known, on-going human rights violations. Further, he has participated in Human Rights Institute programs analyzing the process of pre-trial detention, access to legal representation and the criminal justice system in several Sub-Saharan African countries. He has also participated in a variety of human rights and international trade projects related to work in Sub-Saharan Africa, most prominently, Malawi. Also, Mr. Vernon is involved with establishing a law school in Livingstonia, Malawi, to educate law students, clergy and attorneys in International Human Rights Law.