John R. Grimm

John Grimm is a trial and appellate litigator who enjoys thinking creatively about complex and challenging legal issues. He has a broad practice that has included complex civil litigation, business disputes, civil rights suits, and criminal and administrative appeals.

John has tried cases in federal and state court in Maryland, and argued in the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the D.C. and Fourth Circuits, and the Appellate Court of Maryland. In addition to representing clients in court, John has advised clients contemplating litigation on potential causes of action, and helped clients resolve disputes in mediations.

Before joining BBS&G in 2025, John was an appellate litigator at the Federal Communications Commission, where he handled cases involving complex issues of constitutional and statutory law in federal appellate court. He has also been a partner in a Washington, D.C. litigation and telecommunications boutique and a Baltimore litigation firm, and served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Litigation Division of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General.

Representative Experience
- Defending the FCC’s imposition of $90 million in fines for violations of consumer privacy laws before the D.C. Circuit in a case involving novel constitutional questions under newly decided Supreme Court precedent.
- Serving as lead counsel in a federal civil rights lawsuit against Montgomery County Maryland, including drafting a complaint, successfully opposing a motion to dismiss, deposing police department representatives, and briefing a motion for summary judgment.
- Defending a contractor in a multi-day federal bench trial for breach of contract and negligence, resulting in $0 damages being assessed against the client.
- Defending a popular brand in a lawsuit alleging idea theft.
- Obtaining reversal of a client’s felony conviction on appeal after successfully arguing that the client’s right to counsel had been violated at trial.
- Representing numerous indigent criminal defendants in appeals of serious felony convictions in the Appellate Court of Maryland.
Professional Affiliations
- Founding member, Cole-Davidson Appellate Inn of Court
- Litigation Section Council, Maryland State Bar Association
Books, Articles, and Seminars
Articles
- John R. Grimm & Landyn Wm. Rookard, How Federal and Maryland Courts Review Administrative Agency Actions, 81 Md. L. Rev. 1224 (2022).
CLEs
- All About Administrative Deference (If It Still Exists), Maryland State Bar Association, 2024 Annual Summit (Jun. 5, 2024)
- Agency Appeals, Fourth Circuit Appellate Advocacy Webinar (Feb. 2, 2024)
- A Litigator’s Guide to the Board of Public Works, Maryland State Bar Association (Jan. 18, 2024)
- Pitfalls in Administrative Appeals, Maryland State Bar Association, 2023 Annual Summit (Jun. 9, 2023)
- Appellate Ethics, D.C. Bar Appellate Advocacy CLE (Oct. 20, 2022)
- Current Developments in the Confrontation Clause, Maryland State Bar Association, 2022 Annual Summit (Jun. 3, 2022)
- Judicial Review of Administrative Agency Decisions, Maryland State Bar Association, Administrative Law Section (Apr. 8, 2022)
- Judicial Review of Agency Decision Making, D.C. Bar CLE (Feb. 8, 2022)
- Land Use and Other Administrative Appeals, Maryland State Bar Association (Feb. 21, 2020)

Practice Areas

Litigation

Education

Georgetown University Law Center, J.D. 2011
University of Maryland, M.A. 2008, B.A. 2006

Bar Admissions

Maryland, 2011
District of Columbia, 2014
U.S. Supreme Court, 2016
U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, 2014
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 2016
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 2016
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 2016
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, 2014
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, 2014
U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 2022