Profile
With nearly 20 years of experience, Joe is a trial lawyer who passionately advocates for his clients to win. His hyperfocus on the endgame has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for plaintiffs in business-to-business disputes, and also avoided hundreds of millions more in liability through defense victories.
Joe’s versatility in court, arbitration, and the boardroom, combined with his practical business sense and extensive language capabilities, has helped him leverage efficient strategies to address his clients’ toughest challenges. In every engagement, Joe is a relentless champion for his clients, using discovery and other investigative tools to achieve their strategic and business objectives.
Joe’s trial practice includes extensive experience in three primary areas:
- Mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and related disputes, including claims under representations and warranties insurance (RWI) policies;
- International arbitration and litigation, with a particular focus on Latin America, Spain, and Asia and across multiple fora and arbitral institutions such as ICC and ICDR; and
- Domestic complex commercial disputes, primarily in bet-the-company fraud, contract, and class action matters across a wide array of industries and jurisdictions.
Capabilities
Experience
- Act for a buyer as to ICC arbitration for the seller’s refusal to close a cross-border pharmaceutical deal valued at USD $500 million, resulting in an eight-figure USD damages payment to our client.
- Act for a private equity portfolio company in Florida and Delaware courts as to a services dispute arising from transactions valued at approximately USD $500 million in the health care space.
- Act for a buyer as to claims in Delaware court for fraudulent representations and warranties by the seller in connection with a USD $450 million transaction in the electronics industry.
- Act for a seller in securing an injunction in ICC emergency arbitration which prevented the buyer from terminating a cross-border deal in the technology space valued at USD $165 million.
- Act for numerous insureds in making claims under RWI policies across various industries, recovering upwards of USD $100 million for our clients.
- Act for a seller in ICC arbitration for specific performance to require a buyer to close a cross-border technology transaction, resulting in payments approaching USD $200 million to our client.
- Act for a private equity seller as to breach, specific performance, and other claims in Delaware court arising from a USD $115 million transaction in the technology-services industry.
- Act for a private equity buyer as to claims in Delaware court for fraudulent representations and warranties by the seller in relation to a USD $100 million manufacturing transaction.
- Act for a private equity portfolio company in the trucking industry in Virginia and California courts, defeating USD $70 million in liability and recovering the client’s legal fees and costs.
- Act for an insurance carrier as to claims brought by a private equity buyer in AAA arbitration arising from a USD $40 million deal in the trucking industry, defeating alleged coverage grounds.
- Act for a buyer in ICC arbitration as to fraud claims against the seller arising from a USD $20 million aviation transaction, resulting in full satisfaction of the client’s losses following trial.
- Act for a private equity buyer in JAMS arbitration against sellers for breached representations and warranties, recovering nearly 50% of the purchase price in a diagnostics-industry deal.
- Act for a family office portfolio company in the school supply business in securing in Ohio court the attachment and return of more than USD $10 million in inventory.
- Act for a seller in defeating USD $10 million claims in Florida court for breach of contract arising from a cross-border technology deal, resulting in a multimillion-dollar judgment for our client.
- Act for a technology-focused private equity fund as to a major investor’s claims in Florida court, yielding a resolution of no liability and payment to our client of its legal fees and costs.
- Act for an international fertilizers manufacturer in prosecuting claims in ICDR arbitration in relation to mining rights valued at more than USD $100 million, resulting in a favorable resolution.
- Act for a global pharmaceutical distributor, as licensee, in prosecuting an ICC arbitration arising from a China/U.S. licensing dispute valued at more than USD $80 million.
- Act for a global pharmaceutical distributor, as licensee, in prosecuting an ICC arbitration arising from a China/U.S. licensing dispute valued at approximately USD $40 million.
- Act for a global ink manufacturer as plaintiff in pursuing cross-border claims including fraud and product liability valued at more than USD $25 million in New Jersey court.
- Act for an international water infrastructure provider as to a USD $15 million ICDR arbitration and related Florida court proceedings, resulting in full dismissal of our client from the dispute.
- Act for an international medical-device manufacturer in Florida court as to a distribution dispute involving alleged damages exceeding USD $10 million.
- Act for a global services conglomerate in prosecuting claims in Florida court for breach of fiduciary duty, conspiracy, and aiding and abetting, resulting in a multimillion-dollar judgment after trial.
- Act for an international investment finder as to a contractual dispute in Florida court involving damages which are alleged to exceed USD $5 million.
- Act for one of the world’s largest financial institutions in defending in Florida court against contractual breach claims valued at approximately USD $20 million.
- Act for a minority shareholder in AHLA arbitration and related Florida court actions arising from a shareholder dispute, resulting in a USD $15 million award for our client following trial.
- Act for one of the world’s largest financial institutions as plaintiff in pursuing multimillion-dollar contract and related claims against various parties in Florida court.
- Act for a publicly traded mortgage REIT in prosecuting misrepresentation claims in Connecticut court, resulting in payment to our client of more than double its actual damages.
- Act for a publicly traded telecommunications hardware provider in Florida court as to claims against a global telecommunications provider, resulting in payment to our client of about USD $5 million.
- Act for a global ink manufacturer in Florida court in defending multimillion-dollar claims, ultimately securing a dismissal with prejudice without any payment or liability admission by our client.
Recognition & Leadership
- Listed, The Legal 500 Latin America Guide, Latin America: International – City Focus: Miami, 2022, 2024
- Listed, Best Lawyers in America guide, International Arbitration – Commercial, 2021-2024
- Listed, Benchmark Litigation, “Litigation Star,” 2022-2024
- Listed, Latin Lawyer, “Latin Lawyer 250 - Practice Recognition: Arbitration,” 2022-2024
- Team Member, Global M&A Network’s Americas M&A Atlas Awards, “Latam Deal of the Year” for Quinto Andar acquires Navent Group, 2023
- Listed, Florida Super Lawyers Magazine, 2018-Present
- Listed, Daily Business Review, “Professional Excellence Rising Star Award,” 2016
- Listed, Florida Super Lawyers Magazine, “Rising Star,” 2012-2017
- Past Co-Chair, American Bar Association (ABA) Section of International Law, International Mediation Committee
- Alumni Board Member, University of Miami Law Review
- Federal Bar Association
- Miami International Arbitration Society
- The Florida Bar, Business Law Section and International Law Section
- The Florida Bar, International Litigation and Arbitration Conference, Steering Committee
Credentials
Education
- J.D., cum laude, University of Miami School of Law
- A.B., summa cum laude, Cornell University
Admissions
- Florida
Languages
- English
- Spanish
- French
- Greek
- German