Our Team

Joseph F. Butcher

Member

“I look at a client’s legal issue as an opportunity.  It could be an opportunity to resolve a difficult dispute or avoid one; or it could be a new way to approach their business or provide them with options that they have not considered.  My focus is what is their goal and what do we need to get them there.”

A multi-state trial attorney and litigator in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, Joe has routinely been involved in commercial and tort litigation, employment, civil rights, products liability and toxic torts, administrative law and other disputes.  He also provides legal consultations for individuals, businesses and non-profit entities.  Joe’s diverse set of clients includes product manufacturers and suppliers, contractors, professionals, property owners, insurance companies and their insureds, and non-profit organizations.

As a trial and appellate attorney, including an emphasis on federal court litigation, Joe handles claims and disputes from just after an event occurred, through trial and even through appeals.  Getting involved early in learning the facts and how they affect the legal issues has always been Joe’s interest and allows him to be an effective advocate for his clients.

Joe’s practice involves many areas, including:

  • General Commercial and Tort Litigation: Contractual disputes, business torts, construction, civil rights, insurance, administrative law, and other general liability litigation
  • Employment: discrimination, wrongful termination, wage and hour litigation, counseling of employers and clients on employment practices, and employee mobility issues.  Representation of licensed professionals, including of accountants, engineers, pharmacists, and other licensed professions in malpractice claims and disciplinary proceedings.
  • Personal Injury matters, including products liability, toxic torts, premises liability, and motor vehicle and transportation accidents.
  • Representation of business owners, property owners, design professionals, and contractors in various issues, including payment issues and disputes, mechanic’s liens, defect litigation, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and public accommodation litigation, and property tax assessment matters.
  • Appellate practice, including several arguments and matters before the Pennsylvania appellate courts and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Education

  • Undergraduate:
     Westminster College (Pa)., B.A. English and History, 1997
  • Law School:
     Case Western Reserve University (cum laude), 2000

Admissions

  • Pennsylvania
  • West Virginia
  • Ohio
  • United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

Memberships

  • Federal Bar Association (Past President of Western District of Pennsylvania Chapter)
  • Defense Research Institute
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association (Civil Litigation Section member, Federal Practice Committee, and Post-Trial and Appellate Practice Committee)
  • Allegheny County Bar Association
  • 2016 – 2022: Pennsylvania Super Lawyers
  • 2010 through 2015: Pennsylvania Super Lawyers – Rising Star
  • Member of United Way Tocqueville Society

Venue Experience

  • Pennsylvania state trial courts and administrative bodies
  • Pennsylvania appellate courts, including several arguments before Pennsylvania Superior Court
  • Federal District Courts of Pennsylvania
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • Ohio state trial courts and United States District Court for Southern District of Ohio
  • West Virginia state trial courts
  • West Virginia federal district courts

Other Information

  • Author – Writing a Reservation of Rights:  A North American Compendium – Pennsylvania chapter (for the Defense Research Institute)
  • Speaker – Hot Tip #5:  Appellate Brief Drafting for the Pennsylvania Bar Association – Appellate Advocacy Committee (2022) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw-R6bgrSpE)

Significant Matters

  1. In a federal non-jury trial, obtained a defense verdict for an employer in a retaliation claim.  In the lawsuit, the plaintiff employee alleged that the employer initially subjected her to sexual harassment as well as retaliation.  On summary judgment, the court determined that the plaintiff was not subjected to sexual harassment and then the employer prevailed in the retaliation claim.
  2. In federal district court, obtained a dismissal for a private school where the plaintiff first advanced a negligence claim, but then a breach of contract claim, alleging that the private school was liable for a sexual assault by a bus driver who was transporting the student to school.
  3. Represented numerous businesses and entities before the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission in claims of alleged discrimination in employment, public accommodations and housing and before the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
  4. Pursued and defended against mechanic’s liens and non-payment issues involved in construction matters.
  5. Pursued and defended against numerous claims of personal injury, property damage, and economic loss throughout state and federal courts.
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