Short, Jonathan Y.

John represents individuals, businesses, and governmental entities in civil litigation and appeals before all levels of New Hampshire state and federal courts and administrative agencies.  He also serves clients in Massachusetts where he has been licensed since 1993.

He began his career as an attorney in Washington D.C. John returned to New England in 1997 to join one New Hampshire's largest law firms where he worked first as an Associate and then as an Officer.

In 2005, John started his own firm that in 2007 became Sherman Law, PLLC located in beautiful downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  Through this experience, John has learned many of the issues first-hand that small businesses must face. These range from hiring and terminating employees to handling payroll and finances. He now uses both his legal knowledge and personal experience to counsel and represent a broad array of clients that includes both businesses and individuals.

His work on behalf of local businesses includes counseling and risk management in the areas of employment and labor law.  In addition to litigating wrongful termination and sexual harassment claims, he counsels businesses on how to draft and enforce severance agreements, covenants not to compete, and non-solicitation agreements.  

Having represented zoning and planning boards for many years, John also represents clients who need assistance in the areas of real estate, land use, and zoning.  He similarly utilizes his construction litigation background to represent homeowners, developers, contractors, and subcontractors in construction related matters such as negligent supervision claims and OSHA violations. 

In the past, National insurance companies hired John to represent their insureds in personal injury actions and also to defend the companies in bad faith, misrepresentation, breach of contract, and consumer protection act claims.  Since most personal injury cases are resolved through negotiation between an attorney and an insurance company representative, John's knowledge and understanding of the industry greatly benefits the firm's personal injury clients such as those who have experienced sexual assault, sexual abuse, traumatic brain injury, wrongful death, dog bites, and automobile accidents.

John is an honors graduate of The American University Washington College of Law (1993) and Boston College (1989). He is a member of numerous professional associations with an active practice in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts.