About John
John Szymankiewicz combined technical training and legal study early in his career. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1994. A decade later he returned to school and received a J.D. from North Carolina Central University School of Law in 2006.
Before turning to law, Szymankiewicz worked as an engineer in the chemical and manufacturing sectors. He held engineering roles at Arizona Chemical Company in 1997 and at PGI Nonwovens in 1999. By 2000 he was managing projects for large life‑science and chemical employers, including Bayer, Talecris and Grifols. That technical background led to a Professional Engineer certification from the NC Examiners for Engineering and Surveying.
After law school he began building a legal practice that drew on both his engineering credentials and business experience. He joined the bar in North Carolina and is admitted to practice in the Fourth Circuit. In 2012 he opened the Law Office of John Szymankiewicz, PLLC, operating alongside the Beer Law Center. Two years later he became managing partner at Matheson & Associates / Beer Law Center, a role that expanded his practice responsibilities and put him in a leadership position within a niche area of regulatory and business law.
His involvement in the local bar has been steady. He has been a member of the Wake County Bar Association since 2010 and the North Carolina Bar Association since 2007. He took on committee work and chaired a Wake County Bar committee beginning in 2013. He served on the Wake County Bar Association Board of Directors from 2014 to 2015. He also participates on the North Carolina Bar Association’s Council of Solo, Small Firm, and General Practitioners.
Szymankiewicz’s combination of engineering and legal training informs the kinds of matters he takes on. He handles regulatory and business issues that intersect with manufacturing, product distribution and alcohol beverage law. Clients who need an attorney conversant in technical specifications and administrative rules find his background relevant.
He keeps a practice that blends transactional work, licensing matters and regulatory compliance. His work continues to reflect both the technical side of his early career and the procedural demands of administrative and business law. He currently concentrates his practice on beer law and related business matters.
