Joel’s practice encompasses a range of complex commercial, securities, insurance, and employment litigation matters, including advising institutional investors with respect to the monitoring and evaluation of both foreign and domestic securities class actions, representing shareholders in post-closing merger disputes, counseling insurance companies in coverage disputes, representing attorneys and insurance brokers against claims of professional negligence, and advising employers on all facets of the employment relationship. He also focuses his practice on representing and advising newspapers, publishers, and other media-related entities and individuals in defamation, invasion of privacy, and First Amendment matters. He regularly advises clients at all stages of civil litigation, from pre-litigation counseling and investigation through discovery, alternative dispute resolution, trial, and the appeals process.
Before joining the firm, Joel held a clerkship position with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, serving under, then Associate Justice, now Chief Justice, Ralph D. Gants. He has also held internship positions in the litigation sections of law firms in Boston.
Before beginning his legal career, Joel had a successful career in human resources, including positions as an independent contractor and human resources manager for large and small businesses in the software, medical device, retail and transportation industries. In these roles, he provided oversight and training on compliance with federal, state, and international regulations involving corporate ethics and managerial conduct, family and medical leave, minimum wage, work authorization, occupational safety and health, and discrimination prevention. In addition, he prepared training materials, assisted in gathering due diligence items, investigated employee grievances, and participated in union negotiations.
While in law school, Joel worked as a research assistant, aiding in drafting briefs as amicus curiaefor two United States Supreme Court cases, one relating to the Affordable Care Act, and the other challenging a federal immigration statute on equal protection and fundamental rights grounds.
