John D. Alessio (In Memoriam)

All of us at Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP mourn the loss of Managing Partner John D. Alessio. John passed on September 3, 2024, at the age of 55 after a five-year journey with cancer.

First elected Procopio Managing Partner in the fall of 2017 and reelected twice, John guided the law firm through an unprecedented period of growth and success, navigating the firm through a global pandemic and a rapidly evolving legal marketplace. Under his leadership Procopio has grown both in revenue and geography, opening offices in Orange County, Las Vegas and Washington, D.C., for a total of seven locations. During his leadership tenure Procopio secured numerous recognitions from Chambers and Partners and other peer-based awards programs, with its practice recognitions from Best Lawyers-Best Law Firms tripling.

A fourth-generation San Diegan, John demonstrated his commitment to community in many ways. Active in professional associations including Entrepreneurs Organization and PEERS San Diego, John also dedicated time to serving the broader local cross-border community. Most recently he served as a Director for the World Design Capital San Diego-Tijuana. He was also a founder of Red Autismo, a nonprofit in Los Cabos providing specialized attention to children with autism. For the last seven years John had been recognized by the San Diego Business Journal on its SD 500 list of Most Influential Business Leaders in San Diego, and in 2020 the magazine named him to its SD 50 list of Leaders Making a Difference.

In his legal practice, John focused on complex class action, business and employment litigation with particular experience in trade secret misappropriation, unfair competition, real estate, banking and lending, shareholder and contractual disputes to include cross-border issues. He tirelessly served his clients with class and distinction, achieving great success for clients of all sizes in civil trials, arbitrations and mediations. A proud graduate of the University of San Diego with a BS in Business Administration and a JD from its School of Law, John joined Procopio as a partner in 2008 after an already extensive legal career. He has been recognized by Super Lawyers since 2012 and Best Lawyers since 2014.

In speaking of his leadership philosophy at Procopio, John said he always focused on “the three C’s,” defining those as “our clients, our culture, and also our community.” “Clients are always number one,” he said. “What’s important for culture are things like diversity, which we’re scoring well in, and then also work-life balance, and treating everyone at the firm with great respect and dignity.” Finally, John asked, “What are we doing for our community? That’s an obligation, I think of all businesses, and especially law firms, because we feed off our community, and we can do a lot of good for our communities.”

John is survived by his wife Sofia Alessio, a retired tax attorney; daughters Paulina Alessio, a college sophomore, and Andrea Alessio, a high school senior; his mother, Katherine Alessio; and siblings and their spouses Dominique Alessio Nielander and Stephen Nielander, Elise Alessio Norman and Roger Norman, and Ashley Alessio Muncey and Edward Muncey.

In lieu of flowers, the family would ask that consideration be given to making a gift in John’s memory to Red Autismo or student scholarships at the University of San Diego.