John researches and teaches in mining regulation and also on human rights and resources. He has published and presented on topics including human rights and business, mining regulation, climate change, Indigenous rights, minerals taxation, CSR regulation, and mining agreements. He is a contributing author for LexisNexis Native Title Service, providing quarterly updates on five chapters including compensation, agreements, prescribed bodies corporate, and native title representative bodies.

John is a barrister in the Western Australian Bar Association, advising and representing clients in litigious and non-litigious matters. His work has also covered mining regulation in advising regulators, mining companies, land owners, communities and non-government organisations. John has assisted various government agencies (in Australia and internationally) on mining law reform. He also has a (part time) appointment as the Independent Examiner of the Australian National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

He is a member of committees for AMPLA WA (resources lawyers) and the Academic Network for the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises. John does considerable volunteer work including for Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, Centre for Native Title Anthropology, Environmental Defender’s Office of Western Australia, Peace Law Academy (Myanmar). John has also acted as a peer-reviewer for the Academy of Finland (funding proposals), Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Edinburgh University Press and Transparency International; and the journals Australian Journal of Human Rights, Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law, Property Law Review, Resources Policy and The Extractive Industries and Society.

John's law degree is from the University of Western Australia (1993). He is an accredited mediator (NMAS), has an MBA in Mineral Resource Management (Dundee) and Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults. John previously worked with the Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Land Council (Pilbara & Perth, Australia), Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (Dundee, Scotland), Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (Sydney, Australia) and Corrs Chambers Westgarth (Perth, Australia). John is a member of the Energy and Resources Law Association (WA committee), International Bar Association, International Law Association, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, and Western Australian Bar Association.