John Jarrell joined Mayer Brown as an associate in 1998 and became counsel in 2007. He was a gifted real estate finance lawyer and an invaluable resource for the businesses we serve. But beyond his copious skills as counsel to our clients, John was a treasured colleague, who had a brilliant mind, a no-holds-barred sense of humor that frequently left colleagues in stitches and a natural impulse to serve others. No question was too simple or too complex for John to engage and offer a practical and well-reasoned answer. Given that reputation, associates routinely turned to John for his input, knowing that he could be counted on for sage advice on virtually any topic. John’s knowledge was truly formidable. As one colleague remarked, “John was not a jack of all trades, he was a master of all trades.”
At George Washington University Law School, John was among the top of his class, served on the Law Review, was a member of the Order of the Coif and earned his JD with high honors. At Mayer Brown, he started out as lender’s counsel but later became equally skilled as borrower’s counsel, in addition to becoming a valued resource on joint ventures, acquisitions and numerous other areas of law.
John was easy to talk to, loud, funny, unpretentious and a voracious consumer of pop culture who adored trivia nights and his Philadelphia Eagles but was also a keen observer of politics, a history buff and an avid reader across many genres. One cannot imagine a better legal counsel, colleague, mentor or friend than John. He will be sorely missed.