John L. Sander

John L. Sander is a principal in the New York City, New York, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He is co-leader of the International Employment practice group, and leader of L&E Global, the international alliance of employers’ counsel. His practice focuses on cross-border labor and employment matters for our multinational clients. He is also adjunct professor of Law in Global Labor and Employment Law at Cornell Law School. 

Before joining the firm, John served in senior in-house roles for more than 16 years at Merck & Co., Inc. and its predecessor, Schering-Plough Corporation. At Merck, he was vice president and associate general counsel, leading the team responsible for labor and employment law matters outside the U.S. Before the merger of Merck and Schering-Plough, he was vice president and associate general counsel at Schering-Plough, where he managed the employment law group, responsible for labor, employment, and immigration counseling and litigation within the U.S. and globally. At Schering-Plough, John also at various times served as head of commercial litigation (responsible for product liability, Lanham Act, a wide variety of general commercial litigation and international arbitrations) and as general counsel to the consumer healthcare and generic divisions of the company, as well as managed the compliance and corporate security functions within the law department. Before joining the Schering-Plough law department, he was a litigator at Cahill, Gordon & Reindel and Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker.

While attending law school, John served as article editor of the Cornell Law Review. After law school, he clerked for the Hon. Joseph L. Tauro of the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts. 

John has substantial experience in international dispute resolution processes and their reform. He has served as vice chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce Commission on Arbitration and was a member of the Drafting Sub-Committee responsible for the 2011 revision of the ICC Rules of Arbitration. John has also served as a member of the ICC Working Group in the role of in-house counsel in International Dispute Resolution. He is currently a member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and the USCIB Arbitration Committee.

John is a frequent speaker and panelist at seminars sponsored by the Practising Law Institute, Association of Corporate Counsel, International Bar Association, Association of the Federal Bar of the State of New Jersey, American Conference Institute, New Jersey Corporate Counsel Association and others on a variety of topics including international arbitration, employment law, product liability, consumer fraud claims, class actions, protection of trade secrets, e-discovery, and conduct of internal investigations. He is an author of and contributor to numerous articles and publications on cross-border employment law.

Honors and Recognitions

• Who's Who Legal, “Thought Leaders: USA — Labor and Employment” (2023-present)
• Who's Who Legal, “Recommended Attorney in Labour, Employment & Benefits” (2021-present)
• The Best Lawyers in America©, “Litigation – Labor and Employment” (2025)

No aspect of this or any advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. For all award methodology, see Awards and Honors Methodology.

Pro Bono and Community Involvement

• President of Pro Bono Partnership, a nationally recognized non-profit which provides business legal services and educational resources to community-based and public interest organizations in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Westchester County, New York, by leveraging pro bono services of volunteer attorneys from corporations and law firms throughout the region.

Published Works

• “Employment Contract Terms in the United States: Overview,” Thomson Reuters Practical Law (June 2022) [Author]
• “Practical Law US Terms of Employment,” Thomson Reuters (Nov 2020) [Author]
• “Key US employment law issues to be considered when drafting international employment contracts,” The Legal 500: Employment and Labour Law Country Comparative Guide (Apr 1, 2020) [Co-Author]
• “Labor and Employment Law Issues When Doing Business Outside the United States,” Successful Partnering Between Inside and Outside Counsel/ Thomson Reuters (Apr 2019) [Author]
• “Critical Issues in Global Employment Law for the Multinational In-House Counsel” Association of Corporate Counsel (Feb 2019) [Author]
• “United States Labor and Employment Law Guide,” The In-House Lawyer, Legal 500 (April 2018) [Author]
• “Recent Developments in US Labour Law,” Who's Who Legal (Jul 2015) [Author]
• “Employees vs. Independent Contractors: Understanding the Distinction between Contractors and Employees and the Re-Characterization of a Contractor into an Employee," L&E Global Employers Counsel Worldwide (April 2014) [Author]
• “Intern Programs Continue to Raise Questions for US Employers,” Global Employment Law Newsletter (Berwin Leighton & Paisner) (Apr 2013) [Author]
• “Critical Issues in European Employment Law for the Global In-House Counsel,” Association of Corporate Counsel (Feb 2013) [Author]
• “Workplace Law Implications of 2012 Presidential Election,” Global Employment Law Newsletter (Berwin Leighton & Paisner) (Jan 2013) [Author]

Speeches

• “Legal Implications of Remote Work in Information Technology.,” Annual International Bar Association (IBA) Employment and Diversity Law Conference 2025 (Mövenpick, Marrakech, Morocco, April 2025) (Co-Speaker)
• “Donald Trump's Second Presidency,” L&E Global Firm, De la Vega & Martínez Rojas’ 2025th Annual Event: Year of Risks and Opportunities in Labor Matters (March 2025, Mexico City, Mexico) (Moderator)
• “The Labor Legal Reform and the USMCA: Impact and Effects,” Annual De la Vega & Martínez Rojas Firm Event in Mexico City (February 2023) (co-speaker)
• “Preventing and Defending Discrimination Claims,” International Bar Association Meeting in Madrid, Spain (September 2022) (speaker)
• “Choice of Law in NJ CEPA and Retaliation Claims,” ICLE Webinar (June 2022) (speaker)
• “One Year to Go: Compliance with Mexico Labor Law Reform” (May 2022) (moderator)
• “Back to Work After COVID-19: US and Mexico Issues,” De La Vega Martinez Rojas Client Conference in Mexico City (March 2022) (speaker)
• “Mandatory Vaccination and Remote Work in Latin America,” L&E Global Webinar (December 2021) (moderator)
• “The New Frontier of Cross-Border Remote Work,” Association of Corporate Counsel Webinars (September and October 2021) (speaker)
• "The Whistleblowing Directive: A Gamechanger?" L&E Global Webinar (March 2021) (moderator)
• "Cross-Border Remote Work, Authorized and Unauthorized: Europe," L&E Global Webinar (March 2021) (moderator)
• "Cross-Border Remote Work, Authorized and Unauthorized: Asia-Pacific," L&E Global Webinar (February 2021) (moderator)
• “Data Privacy in Latin America: New Developments and Implications for the Multinational Employer," L&E Global Webinar (December 2020) (moderator)
• “Restructuring in Asia-Pacific in the Age of COVID-19," L&E Global Webinar (September 2020) (moderator)
• “Best Practices for Remote Work in Latin America," L&E Global Webinar (June 2020) (moderator)
• “Employment Litigation After Covid-19,” L&E Global Webinar (June 2020) (moderator)
• “COVID-19: Your Workforce Law Update in the Asia Pacific,” L&E Global Webinar (April 2020) (moderator)
• “COVID-19 Coronavirus: Your Essential Workforce Update in Latin America," L&E Global Webinar (April 2020) (moderator)
• “Global #MeToo: Focus on New Developments in Asia," L&E Global Webinar (March 2020) (moderator)
• “Issues to Consider When Starting Up New Operations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico,” L&E Global Webinar (February 2020) (moderator)