jbeckman@nbparis.com Direct Line:617.778.9126
Snapshot
Joel is a founder of the firm and a trial lawyer with over twenty five years of experience representing business clients in complex contract cases, corporate investigations, financial fraud and alternative investment litigation, real estate and construction litigation, professional malpractice, employment, and insurance coverage matters. Joel has represented Fortune 500 companies, international clients, and New England based businesses engaged in healthcare, transportation, information technology, manufacturing, alternative energy, large scale retail, construction, money management, banking and finance, and biotechnology. Joel has tried cases ranging in duration from three days to three months throughout the courts of Massachusetts, including jury trials before the Business Litigation Court in Boston. Joel also has successfully argued appeals before the Massachusetts Appeals Court and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Performance
- Recovered over $50 million for investment advisor in the largest corporate defalcation case in Massachusetts, including an eight figure settlement against accounting firm in a professional malpractice action.
- Lead outside counsel to Audit Committee of publicly traded biotech company facing whistle-blower allegations of accounting fraud and product recall issues.
- 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.
- Trial counsel in scores of complex corporate litigation cases across Massachusetts, including the first jury trial held in the Business Litigation Session.
- Defended the commuter rail and transit authority in several catastrophic cases, including establishing a settlement trust funded by culpable third parties.
- Prevailed on appeal before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on behalf of the largest Boston Red Sox ticket reseller in a case involving the enforceability of the Massachusetts ticket scalper statute. Even before trial, we were successful in protecting our client’s trade secrets by appealing and reversing the trial court’s discovery orders to the State’s highest court.
- Served as lead counsel to a Czech Republic publicly traded company, in a Federal Court District of Massachusetts jury trial involving competing claims of intentional interference with contractual relations, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
- Counsel for a 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 $6.4 million verdict for breach of distribution agreement and fraud 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 software development company and enforced copyrights to its proprietary code against a “work for hire” contractor who misappropriated underlying code and set up competing business. Secured return of code and an agreement not to compete.
- 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 worked at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP and 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, New York, Florida, New Jersey, and Vermont. He is also a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and Boston Bar Association.