Performance

• Recovered over $50 million for investment advisor in largest corporate defalcation case in Massachusetts, including a settlement against accounting firm in a professional malpractice action.
• Lead counsel to private equity firm prosecuting professional malpractice claims against its deal counsel involving acquisition of lending business.
• Conducted independent investigation on behalf of quasi public agency involving a public bidding process for development of prime Boston real estate parcels.
• Conducted months long independent investigation for a large city in Massachusetts involving multi-million dollar deficit spending.
• Lead trial counsel representing group of New England farmers prosecuting anti-trust claims in federal court in Vermont against international dairy conglomerate.
• Defended the commuter rail and transit authority in several catastrophic cases, including establishing a settlement trust funded by culpable third parties.
• Defended the Governor of Massachusetts, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Public Health as specially appointed Assistant Attorney General in over a dozen lawsuits brought by rejected applicants seeking licenses to operate medical marijuana dispensaries, including defeating all motions for injunctive relief seeking to stop the entire licensing process.
• Lead outside counsel to Audit Committee of publicly traded biotech company facing whistleblower allegations of accounting fraud and product recall issues.
• Trial counsel in scores of complex corporate litigation cases, including the first jury trial held in the Business Litigation Session of the Massachusetts Superior Court.
• Served as lead counsel to a Czech Republic publicly traded company, in jury trial in federal court against Boston hedge fund.
• Counsel for New England based defense contractor in a multi-year Department of Justice investigation relating to violations of Arms Export Control Act; resulting in no criminal charges to company.
• Represented distributor in two-week jury trial in Norfolk Superior Court resulting in multi-million verdict for unfair and deceptive trade practices and breach of distribution agreement by manufacturer.
• Secured decision before Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court affirming jury trial verdict for transportation client, which rejected defendant’s argument that jury decision should be set aside on federal preemption grounds.
• Secured the return of proprietary information for national sports company from former employee who surreptitiously copied sensitive client information and went to work for competitor.
• Represented the family and estate of a former Governor of Massachusetts in a fraud and professional malpractice action arising from the theft of funds by their former lawyer, who stole over $17 million from his clients.

Credentials

Joel graduated cum laude from the University of Wisconsin in 1985 and from Vermont Law School in 1988.  Prior to the formation of Nystrom Beckman & Paris, LLP, Joel was special counsel at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP and, prior thereto, worked as an associate at K&L Gates LLP.

Professional Activities/Affiliations

Joel is a member of the Massachusetts Bar, United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts and the First Circuit Court of Appeals.  Joel has appeared pro hac vice in courts throughout the country including, California, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. He is also a member of the Boston Bar Association.