JOSEPH J. ORTEGO

Joe Ortego has approximately thirty years of litigation and business experience and practices in the firm’s New York City and Long Island offices. He has tried over 100 cases to verdict for major privately held and public corporations ranging from financial institutions to chemical companies.

Joe focuses on the areas of commercial disputes, litigation, matters involving health effects, environmental, employment, intellectual property, product liability, and insurance concerns, as well as aviation law. He serves as national trial counsel for a number of clients who desire a consistent approach to class action and aggregate litigation matters filed in multiple states, and represents small, mid-size, and publicly traded companies; he is the firm’s national Practice Group Leader for the Products: Class Action, Trade and Industry Representation Group.

A frequent author and speaker, both domestically and internationally, as well as a legal consultant on network television, Joe serves on the faculty of ABA Tips National Trial Academy, a diverse program combining the latest technology with the country’s top trial lawyers as faculty members and trial judges.

Joe also chairs NP Trial®, an international team of the firm’s most successful and experienced trial lawyers. By pairing NP Trial lawyers with clients at the onset of the engagement, this initiative has enhanced the client’s opportunity to resolve matters early on their terms or to prevail at trial.

New York County District Attorney’s Office Assistant District Attorney (Manhattan)

Joe served as an assistant district attorney in the Felony Trial and Homicide bureaus, where he investigated and tried complex and high-profile felony and homicide cases to verdict.

Publications and Presentations

• “The Thin Lines Between Zealous Advocacy, Incivility, and Punishable Misconduct,” Suffolk Academy of Law CLE Program, Hauppauge, NY, October 11, 2012
• “Early Case Assessment,” The Network of Trial Law Firms, Litigation Management in a New York Minute, New York, NY, August 10, 2012
• “Ethical Considerations for Litigators and Trial Attorneys,” 2012 National Trial Academy, American Bar Association/American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), Reno, NV, April 16, 2012
• “Practical Solutions for Effectively Managing Outside Counsel Fees: The Case for Alternative Fee Arrangements,” Hispanic National Bar Association’s 3rd Annual Corporate Counsel and 17th Annual Uvaldo Herrera Moto Court Competition, Jersey City, NJ, March 30, 2012
• Pre-Conference Group Meet-Up, 16th Annual Drug and Medical Device Litigation Conference, New York, NY, December 5–7, 2011
• “Finding the Right Balance: In-House Lawyer’s Professional Duties vs. Rights as an Employee,” The Network of Trial Law Firms, Laguna Beach, CA, November 4, 2011
• “Emerging Legal Issues: Social Media and Cloud Computing,” Major Insurance Company, October 25, 2011
• “Ethics: An In-House Lawyers Professional Duties vs. Rights as an Employee,” The Network of Trial Law Firms, New York, NY, August 5, 2011
• “Ethical Considerations in the Automotive Product Liability Context,” American Conference Institute, Automotive Product Liability Litigation, Chicago, IL, June 22, 2011
• “Early Evaluation Defense Perspective,” Presentation to Lancer Claims Service, Los Angeles, CA, April 5, 2011
• “Walking a Thin, Grey Line: The Differences Among Incivility, Zealous Advocacy, and Punishable Misconduct,” 2011 Emerging Issues in Motor Vehicle Product Liability Litigation, Phoenix, AZ, March 31, 2011
• “Contracts, Risks & Parasites: Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite,” The Associated Pest Services Association, San Antonio, TX, February 10, 2011
• “Getting the Job— What Do You Want From Me?” CLE Program, Nassau County Bar Association, Mineola, NY, November 22, 2010
• “Procedural Tactics for Managing and Defending Against Mass Torts Product Liability Claims,” American Conference Institute’s Master Class, New York, NY, September 30, 2010
• “Ethical Considerations in the Automotive Product Liability Context,” American Conference Institute’s Automotive Product Liability Conference, Chicago IL, September 23, 2010
• “E-Discovery: Ethical Considerations for In-House Counsel,” CLE Ethics Seminar, Nixon Peabody LLP, September 14, 2010
• “The Evolving Law of E-Discovery,” The Network of Trial Law Firms, New York, NY, August 6, 2010
• “It’s the Economy,” CPS Insurance Company, Ltd., Annual General Meeting and Board of Directors’ Meeting, Southampton, Bermuda, June 15, 2010
• “Incivility: An Insult to the Professional and the Profession,” Orientation Presentation to New Attorneys, Appellate Division, Second Department; Nassau Supreme Court, Mineola, NY, June 11, 2010
• “The Evolving Law of E-Discovery,” The Network of Trial Law Firms, Phoenix, AZ, April 23, 2010
• “The Thin Lines Between Zealous Advocacy, Incivility, and Punishable Misconduct,” Emerging Issues in Motor Vehicle Product Liability Law, Phoenix, AZ, April 9, 2010
• “Defending Goliath: How to Represent a Corporation Before a Jury in a Weakened Economy,” ABA Corporate Counsel CLE Seminar, February 11–14, 2010

• Video Profile: Joe Ortego