John C. Cardello is a senior attorney with nearly three decades of litigation experience representing healthcare professionals, providers, businesses, and institutional clients in professional licensing matters, administrative proceedings, complex civil litigation, and appeals.
A substantial part of John’s current practice is devoted to representing physicians, nurses, and other licensed healthcare professionals before state regulatory agencies in Michigan and Florida. He counsels clients from the earliest investigative stages through administrative complaints, settlement negotiations, formal hearings, and appeals. In Florida, John has successfully obtained dismissals of investigations at the probable cause panel stage, avoiding the filing of formal administrative complaints against his clients.
John also maintains an active federal litigation practice, with particular experience representing healthcare professionals and providers in civil-rights litigation arising from correctional healthcare. He has successfully obtained summary judgment for healthcare professionals and providers in multiple federal cases.
Practice Focus:
John’s litigation experience extends well beyond his current healthcare practice. Earlier in his career, he represented plaintiffs and defendants in maritime, product-liability, commercial, employment, and other complex civil matters. He has personally argued cases before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Sixth Circuits and has extensive experience briefing dispositive motions and appellate matters in both state and federal courts.
John approaches representation with an emphasis on practical judgment, candid advice, and careful assessment of both legal and real-world risk. Particularly in professional licensing matters, where a client’s livelihood and reputation may be at stake, he believes effective advocacy requires not only knowing when to fight, but also recognizing when a negotiated resolution better serves the client’s long-term interests.
Before becoming an attorney, John graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He served as an officer in the United States Air Force, including as a KC-135 instructor navigator and Chief of KC-135 Tactics and Tactical Deception. John is a Gulf War veteran.
John earned his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law and is admitted to practice in Michigan and Florida, as well as before multiple federal courts and the United States Courts of Appeals for the Third, Fifth, and Sixth Circuits.
