- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Corporate Business Law
- Sports Law
- Public and Private Trust Companies
John is a corporate transactional attorney who advises businesses and business owners on a range of transactional matters, including, proper corporate governance, entity selection and formation, complex contract drafting and review, business owner succession planning, and buy and sell side mergers and acquisition transactions. John also assists in the formation, governance, and the corporate transactions of New Hampshire charted depository banks, chartered public trust companies, chartered and un-chartered private family trust companies, and other entities licensed by the New Hampshire Banking Department.
John is the Vice-Chair of the Sports Practice Group, a practice group that assists individuals, businesses, schools, non-profit organizations, and other individuals involved in the sporting landscape. John is a subject matter expert on Name, Image and Likeness matters for both academic institutions and student-athletes. In addition to assisting schools and student-athletes in Name, Image and Likeness agreement transactions, John works with professional athletes in reviewing contracts and prospective business opportunities, and counsels’ businesses in the sports landscape on governance and mergers and acquisition matters.
Prior to joining McLane Middleton in 2021, John was a Hearings Examiner with the New Hampshire Banking Department where he reviewed, and assisted with, the formation, and governance of, of New Hampshire chartered depository banks, credit unions, public trust companies, and private trust companies.
John earned his J.D. from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law (2015). In 2014, John competed in the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition and in 2015, he was the Chief Justice of the Moot Court Executive Board. John received his B.S. in Marketing and Entrepreneurial Venture Creation from the University of New Hampshire, cum laude, with a Minor in Economics (2011).
Areas of Focus
Admissions
- New Hampshire
- Massachusetts
Publications
Put the Coach on the Line: An Alternate Approach to Increasing Player Safety in the NHL,” Virginia Sports and Entertainment Law Journal, Volume 14, Issue 1.
Involvement
- NH Bar Association – Corporation, Business and Banking Law Section, Co-Clerk
- Member of the Friends of the Manchester Animal Shelter’s Board of Directors
- ACG Boston Ambassador
- Graduate of the 2023 ACG Boston Accelerator Program
- Graduate of the 2022 Stay Work Play Rising Stars Leadership Program
Awards
- Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch (Entertainment & Sports Law), 2024
Latest News
- 60 Attorneys from McLane Middleton Recognized in 2025 Best Lawyers in America (August 19, 2024)
- John DeWispelaere Elected Vice-Chair of McLane Middleton’s Sports Practice Group (November 16, 2023)
- McLane Middleton Attorney John DeWispelaere Recognized by Best Lawyers for Work in Sports Law (September 13, 2023)
- 57 Attorneys from McLane Middleton Recognized in 2024 Best Lawyers in America (August 17, 2023)
- McLane Middleton to Host NH Bar Program on Banking Trends and Legal Issues Facing the Banking Industry (April 29, 2022)
- McLane Middleton’s Corporate Team Leads New Hampshire Bar’s Corporation, Banking and Business Law Section (February 25, 2022)