John is originally from rural Moore County, N.C., and was raised on a family farm. He is licensed to practice before all North Carolina State Courts and is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, the 3B Judicial District Bar Association. John was also a past president of the Carteret County Bar Association. 

Located in the firm’s Morehead City office, John has practiced there since 1984, with the last 26 years as the managing partner of his own firm known as Harris Law Firm.  John’s practice is concentrated in the areas of residential and commercial real estate development and closings, foreclosures, business law, and simple wills and estate matters.

In 1995, John was certified as a Board Certified Specialist in real property law-residential transactions by the North Carolina State Board of Legal Specialization. 

John has spoken at various educational events for real estate attorneys and real estate agents. In previous years, he was a founding member of the North Carolina State Bar Paralegal Certification Committee, which developed and implemented the procedure to certify paralegals in NC.

Along with several other local businessmen, John formed Sound Bank, a local community bank that opened in 2001 and which grew to serve much of Eastern North Carolina. He served as a director of the bank from its inception until it was sold in 2018.