John Henry is a 1999 graduate of Loyola Law School. During his time there, he spent two years on the Byrne Trial Advocacy Team. While a member of the team, John and his teammates won the Georgetown White Collar Crime Invitational and the National Trial Competition regional competition, and advanced to the final round of the national competition. He also competed in the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition, where he and his partner emerged as regional champions, earned an award for Best Brief, and John was named Best Oralist.
After graduation, John began his prosecutorial career at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and later at the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. Over his career, he tried approximately 80 jury trials to verdict, prosecuting cases involving sexual assault, child molestation, physical abuse, and homicide. In 2020, he was promoted to Chief Deputy District Attorney—becoming the first African American to serve on the executive management team of his office.
John’s coaching journey began shortly after he graduated in 1999. Over the past 20-plus years, alongside longtime program director Susan Poehls, he helped elevate Loyola’s Byrne Trial Advocacy Team into one of the nation's top programs. He has guided teams to multiple regional and national championships and mentored countless students into confident criminal and civil trial attorneys. In 2025, John transitioned into a full-time faculty role at Loyola. As Director of Trial Advocacy Programs, he now oversees the Byrne Trial Advocacy Program and the Hobbs District Attorney Practicum.