Skip to Main Content

John D. Martin

Partner

Meridian
1320 Main Street
17th Floor
Columbia, SC 29201
T 803.255.9241
F 803.256.7500
john.martin@nelsonmullins.com
Send Email to John D. Martin Download vCard for John D. Martin PDF View Headshot

John is a litigation partner whose practice focuses on the interplay of high stakes litigation, electronic discovery, information management, and cybersecurity. He is a leader of the Nelson Mullins Electronic Discovery and Information Management practice group, Nelson Mullins Encompass. John's clients routinely face the challenge of having to collect and produce massive volumes of highly...

John is a litigation partner whose practice focuses on the interplay of high stakes litigation, electronic discovery, information management, and cybersecurity. He is a leader of the Nelson Mullins Electronic Discovery and Information Management practice group, Nelson Mullins Encompass. John's clients routinely face the challenge of having to collect and produce massive volumes of highly sensitive information in response to litigation, government investigations, and other matters. Clients turn to John and the Nelson Mullins Encompass team to manage the scope of these obligations, identify and mitigate risks, minimize business disruption, and to implement creative solutions to challenging and often disruptive discovery burdens.

Many of John's clients engage him as enterprise electronic discovery counsel to serve as an advocate and coordinate discovery strategy and operations in complex matters, often involving numerous concurrent MDL venues and interrelated government investigations. In this role, John communicates a consistent message across numerous matters, ensuring consistent strategy and positioning before a variety of judges, opposing counsel, and regulators. John has deep, hands-on experience litigating evidence spoliation and other unique e-discovery issues — ranging from TAR protocols in MDL litigation to source code production. Delivering accountability, this advocacy dovetails with the full range of large scale electronic discovery data collection, data processing, document review, and production operations of the Nelson Mullins Encompass team.

While most clients engage John's team to handle cases from the start, they are often called into ongoing matters to defend sanctions motions, defend discovery processes, litigate overly broad demands, prepare and defend depositions into discovery conduct, and to consult on related issues.

sensitive information in response to litigation, government investigations, and other matters. Clients turn to John and the Nelson Mullins Encompass team to manage the scope of these obligations, identify and mitigate risks, minimize business disruption, and to implement creative solutions to challenging and often disruptive discovery burdens.

Many of John's clients engage him as enterprise electronic discovery counsel to serve as an advocate and coordinate discovery strategy and operations in complex matters, often involving numerous concurrent MDL venues and interrelated government investigations. In this role, John communicates a consistent message across numerous matters, ensuring consistent strategy and positioning before a variety of judges, opposing counsel, and regulators. John has deep, hands-on experience litigating evidence spoliation and other unique e-discovery issues — ranging from TAR protocols in MDL litigation to source code production. Delivering accountability, this advocacy dovetails with the full range of large scale electronic discovery data collection, data processing, document review, and production operations of the Nelson Mullins Encompass team.

While most clients engage John's team to handle cases from the start, they are often called into ongoing matters to defend sanctions motions, defend discovery processes, litigate overly broad demands, prepare and defend depositions into discovery conduct, and to consult on related issues.

Experience

Following is a selected sampling of matters and is provided for informational purposes only. Past success does not indicate the likelihood of success in any future matter.
  • Has developed strategies for and overseen organizations document productions in response to government antitrust inquiries and as part of pre-merger notifications/Hart-Scott-Rodino submissions.
  • Discovery advocacy spanning many industry sectors, including healthcare, insurance, pharmaceutical, tobacco industries, including antitrust, cybersecurity, product liability, and investigation matters.
  • Advises clients on privacy and information security and data breach response issues and implements defensible approaches to the preservation, collection, and production of electronically stored information for litigation, government requests, and internal investigations
  • Advises clients on communications and coordination with law enforcement and regulators and on related preservation of data and electronic evidence issues in connection with cybersecurity and data breach incidents
  • Advocates for clients before the courts and opposing counsel to help right-size discovery to the needs of the case
  • Counsels clients on information governance practices, including preservation and defensible disposal
  • Develops both offensive and defensive electronic discovery strategies and prepares company witnesses to address challenging data-related issues
  • Helps clients with the selection and management of electronic discovery vendors, as well as the development of cost-effective, large-scale document review strategies
  • Represents drug and medical device companies, manufacturers, health insurance companies, and clients in other industries in product liability and business litigation
  • Has served as both national coordinating counsel in numerous MDL proceedings.
  • Frequent appearances in courts and pro hac vice in numerous jurisdictions across the country
Following is a selected sampling of matters and is provided for informational purposes only. Past success does not indicate the likelihood of success in any future matter.
  • Has developed strategies for and overseen organizations document productions in response to government antitrust inquiries and as part of pre-merger notifications/Hart-Scott-Rodino submissions.
  • Discovery advocacy spanning many industry sectors, including healthcare, insurance, pharmaceutical, tobacco industries, including antitrust, cybersecurity, product liability, and investigation matters.
  • Advises clients on privacy and information security and data breach response issues and implements defensible approaches to the preservation, collection, and production of electronically stored information for litigation, government requests, and internal investigations
  • Advises clients on communications and coordination with law enforcement and regulators and on related preservation of data and electronic evidence issues in connection with cybersecurity and data breach incidents
  • Advocates for clients before the courts and opposing counsel to help right-size discovery to the needs of the case
  • Counsels clients on information governance practices, including preservation and defensible disposal
  • Develops both offensive and defensive electronic discovery strategies and prepares company witnesses to address challenging data-related issues
  • Helps clients with the selection and management of electronic discovery vendors, as well as the development of cost-effective, large-scale document review strategies
  • Represents drug and medical device companies, manufacturers, health insurance companies, and clients in other industries in product liability and business litigation
  • Has served as both national coordinating counsel in numerous MDL proceedings.
  • Frequent appearances in courts and pro hac vice in numerous jurisdictions across the country

Articles & Speeches

Visit Insights

Recognitions

The bar rules of some states require that the standards for an attorney's inclusion in certain public accolades or recognitions be provided. When such accolades or recognitions are listed, a hyperlink is provided that leads to a description of the respective selection methodology.

Professional Activities

  • South Carolina Bar
    • Has served on the Ethics Advisory Committee, Professional Responsibility Committee, Practice & Procedure Committee and its Resolution of Fee Disputes Board
  • DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar
    • Electronic Discovery and Drug & Medical Device committees
    • Past Editor-in-Chief, E-Discovery Connection
  • Member, Working Group on Electronic Document Retention and Production, Sedona Conference
  • Business Litigation and Products Liability sections, American Bar Association
  • Richland County Bar Association
  • South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association

Leadership

  • American Red Cross, Palmetto SC Region, Board of Directors (2016–present)
  • SC Economics, Board of Directors (2012–2016)
  • South Carolina State Elections Commission, Commissioner (2000–2004)

John is a litigation partner whose practice focuses on the interplay of high stakes litigation, electronic discovery, information management, and cybersecurity. He is a leader of the Nelson Mullins Electronic Discovery and Information Management practice group, Nelson Mullins Encompass. John's clients routinely face the challenge of having to collect and produce massive volumes of highly... sensitive information in response to litigation, government investigations, and other matters. Clients turn to John and the Nelson Mullins Encompass team to manage the scope of these obligations, identify and mitigate risks, minimize business disruption, and to implement creative solutions to challenging and often disruptive discovery burdens.

Many of John's clients engage him as enterprise electronic discovery counsel to serve as an advocate and coordinate discovery strategy and operations in complex matters, often involving numerous concurrent MDL venues and interrelated government investigations. In this role, John communicates a consistent message across numerous matters, ensuring consistent strategy and positioning before a variety of judges, opposing counsel, and regulators. John has deep, hands-on experience litigating evidence spoliation and other unique e-discovery issues — ranging from TAR protocols in MDL litigation to source code production. Delivering accountability, this advocacy dovetails with the full range of large scale electronic discovery data collection, data processing, document review, and production operations of the Nelson Mullins Encompass team.

While most clients engage John's team to handle cases from the start, they are often called into ongoing matters to defend sanctions motions, defend discovery processes, litigate overly broad demands, prepare and defend depositions into discovery conduct, and to consult on related issues.

Experience

Following is a selected sampling of matters and is provided for informational purposes only. Past success does not indicate the likelihood of success in any future matter.

  • Has developed strategies for and overseen organizations document productions in response to government antitrust inquiries and as part of pre-merger notifications/Hart-Scott-Rodino submissions.
  • Discovery advocacy spanning many industry sectors, including healthcare, insurance, pharmaceutical, tobacco industries, including antitrust, cybersecurity, product liability, and investigation matters.
  • Advises clients on privacy and information security and data breach response issues and implements defensible approaches to the preservation, collection, and production of electronically stored information for litigation, government requests, and internal investigations
  • Advises clients on communications and coordination with law enforcement and regulators and on related preservation of data and electronic evidence issues in connection with cybersecurity and data breach incidents
  • Advocates for clients before the courts and opposing counsel to help right-size discovery to the needs of the case
  • Counsels clients on information governance practices, including preservation and defensible disposal
  • Develops both offensive and defensive electronic discovery strategies and prepares company witnesses to address challenging data-related issues
  • Helps clients with the selection and management of electronic discovery vendors, as well as the development of cost-effective, large-scale document review strategies
  • Represents drug and medical device companies, manufacturers, health insurance companies, and clients in other industries in product liability and business litigation
  • Has served as both national coordinating counsel in numerous MDL proceedings.
  • Frequent appearances in courts and pro hac vice in numerous jurisdictions across the country

Education

  • University of South Carolina School of Law, JD (2000)
  • University of South Carolina, Honors College, BS, Biology (1996)

Admissions

  • South Carolina
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina
The bar rules of some states require that the standards for an attorney’s inclusion in certain public accolades or recognitions be provided. When such accolades or recognitions are listed, a hyperlink is provided that leads to a description of the respective selection methodology.

  • South Carolina Bar
    • Has served on the Ethics Advisory Committee, Professional Responsibility Committee, Practice & Procedure Committee and its Resolution of Fee Disputes Board
  • DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar
    • Electronic Discovery and Drug & Medical Device committees
    • Past Editor-in-Chief, E-Discovery Connection
  • Member, Working Group on Electronic Document Retention and Production, Sedona Conference
  • Business Litigation and Products Liability sections, American Bar Association
  • Richland County Bar Association
  • South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys’ Association
  • American Red Cross, Palmetto SC Region, Board of Directors (2016–present)
  • SC Economics, Board of Directors (2012–2016)
  • South Carolina State Elections Commission, Commissioner (2000–2004)