John Buretta is a partner and the global co-chair of the Paul Hastings Litigation Department and is based in the firm’s New York office. Described by clients as a “powerhouse” and “an absolute star,” Buretta is an internationally recognized litigator who handles bet-the-company disputes, corporate crises and investigations.
Lawdragon has named Buretta a national “Legend” and selected him as one of the “500 Leading Lawyers in America,” “500 Leading Global Litigators” and “500 Global Leaders in Crisis Management,” among other honors.
Buretta has represented public and private companies, boards of directors and audit committees, senior executives and general counsels in consequential matters in many industries, such as aerospace, automaking, autonomous vehicles, banking, consumer products, energy, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and technology. His cases have included materially significant disputes involving antitrust laws, securities laws, accounting standards, transportation regulations, money laundering and anti-money laundering controls, trade sanctions and export controls, manufacturing integrity and product recalls, the False Claims Act, tax compliance and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
Lawdragon Honors
| Honor | Year | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Global Leaders in Crisis Management | 2026 | Investigations, Enforcement, Litigation |
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America | 2026 | Litigation, esp. White Collar |
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2026 | Internal Investigations, Criminal Defense |
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America | 2025 | Litigation, esp. Antitrust; Civil Litigation |
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2025 | Internal Investigations, Criminal Defense |
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators | 2025 | International Investigations & Disputes |
| The Lawdragon 500 Global Leaders in Crisis Management | 2025 | Investigations, Enforcement, Litigation |
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Cyber Lawyers | 2025 | Investigations & Regulatory Enforcement, inc. Cyber |
| The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators | 2024 | International Investigations & Disputes |
| The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Cyber Lawyers | 2024 | Investigations & Regulatory Enforcement, inc. Cyber |
| The 2024 Lawdragon Legends | 2024 | |
| The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America | 2024 | Litigation, esp. Antitrust; Civil Litigation |
| The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2024 | Internal Investigations, Criminal Defense |
| The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2024 | Internal Investigations, Criminal Defense |
| The 2023 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America | 2023 | Litigation, esp. Antitrust; Civil Litigation |
| Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America | 2022 | Internal Investigations, Criminal Defense |
| The 2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America | 2022 | Litigation, esp. Antitrust; Civil Litigation |
| The 2021 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America | 2021 | Litigation, esp. Antitrust; Civil Litigation |
| The 2020 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America | 2020 | Litigation, esp. Antitrust; Civil Litigation |
| The 2019 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America | 2019 | Litigation, esp. Antitrust; Civil Litigation |
| The 2018 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America | 2018 | Litigation, esp. Antitrust; Civil Litigation |
| The 2017 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America | 2017 | Litigation, esp. Antitrust; Civil Litigation |
| The 2016 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America | 2016 | Litigation, esp. Antitrust; Civil Litigation |
| The 2014-15 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers | 2014-2015 | Litigation, esp. Antitrust; Civil Litigation |
In recognition of his ability to master technical detail and develop clear strategy, the Department of Transportation selected John to monitor and enhance the automotive industry’s multiyear nationwide recall of Takata ammonium nitrate airbag inflators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration described the recall as the largest and most complex in U.S. history.
John brings to his decades-long practice as a prominent law firm litigator his additional experience as a former Department of Justice senior official. He served for over a decade in the DOJ, first as a lead trial prosecutor in New York and later as a senior official in the Criminal Division in Washington, D.C., where he oversaw nearly 600 prosecutors handling the department’s most complex criminal matters involving corporate fraud, FCPA, insider trading, healthcare fraud, money laundering, Bank Secrecy Act violations, trade sanctions, asset forfeiture, cybercrime, intellectual property theft and public corruption.
John received a B.A. in 1993 from the University of California at Berkeley. In 1996, he received a J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, where he earned the Edward Allen Tamm Award and was editor‑in‑chief of the Georgetown Law Journal’s “Annual Review of Criminal Procedure.” He clerked for the Honorable Peter K. Leisure of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.