Early Life and Education
The son of college administrators, John grew up in San Francisco and graduated from Lowell High School in 1973 before attending college at Stanford University, from which he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with honors and distinction in 1977. He then went on to Stanford Law School, where he was a member of the Stanford Law Review and Order of the Coif, earning his Juris Doctor in 1980. As a law student, John founded the Stanford Speech and Debate Institute, geared toward high school students nationwide; he also developed and taught a speech and debate course to Stanford undergraduate students.

Legal Career
John joined the Palo Alto office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in 1985, after working as a litigation associate at O'Melveny & Myers in Los Angeles from 1980 to 1984. He has been a corporate partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati since 1988, building a practice focused on the formation and representation of technology companies, particularly with respect to mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, strategic partnerships, and venture financings.

From 2000 to 2005, John was the firm's managing director of professional services, a role in which he focused on participation, coordination, and leadership development across the firm's practice areas, industries, and geographies. In this role, he was responsible for resource allocation, business planning, recruiting and hiring, and marketing and business development across the firm, among other duties.

John was named Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's CEO in February 2005. He oversees and manages a global law firm with more than 1,500 employees across eight offices (seven in the U.S., and one in Shanghai, China), leading initiatives aimed at increasing competitive advantage, enhancing market position, and strengthening the organizational structure of the firm. He has been a member of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's board of directors since 2000.

John was admitted to practice law in California on December 16, 1980.

John V. Roos continued

Civic and Political Experience
John's interest in politics was sparked while still a student at Stanford Law School, when he took time off in 1979 to work as a White House intern on the domestic policy staff in the Carter administration.

He went on to serve as an adviser and fundraiser in four presidential campaigns. In 1984, John took a year off from his legal practice to act as a special assistant to the national co-chairman for Walter Mondale's presidential campaign. In 2000, he actively campaigned for Bill Bradley's presidential bid, serving as a senior advisor to the national campaign and chair of the California campaign, as well as treasurer of Time Future, Inc., Senator Bradley's multi-candidate committee. John also served as chair of the Northern California Finance Committee for John Kerry's presidential campaign leading up to the 2004 election.

Most recently, John served as a member of the National Finance Committee and as co-chair of the California Finance Committee for the Obama for America presidential campaign. He also played a role on the campaign's technology committee.

On a local level, John was elected to two consecutive terms on the San Mateo/Foster City Elementary School Board, serving from 1991 to 1998. He was elected president of the board in 1995.

John is a current member of the Stanford Law School Dean's Advisory Council, and is also a member of the Stanford School of Education Dean's Advisory Board.

Personal Life
John is married and has two children. He met his wife, Susan, at Stanford University. Susan Roos runs her own employment law firm, Cook Roos Wilbur LLP, in San Francisco. Their daughter, Lauren, age 21, is a recent college graduate, and their son, David, age 16, is a high school student.

John and his family reside in the San Francisco Bay Area.