After graduating from the University of Chicago Law School and clerking for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, John Barnes (Jeb) practiced as a commercial litigator in Boston and San Francisco. In 1994, he left the practice of law to pursue a doctorate in political science at the University of California, Berkeley.

Jeb joined the USC faculty in 2001, where he teaches classes in law, American politics and public policy and has published numerous university-press books, edited volumes, and peer-reviewed articles on topics ranging from the asbestos crisis and litigation reform to disability rights and research methods.