Joseph A. Gallo is a partner in the Newark office of Lewis Brisbois and a member of the General Liability Practice. Joseph is an AV-rated litigator with over 40 years' experience handling substantial and complex claims, having performed all defense counsel functions from case inception to conclusion.

Joe has defended many types of cases, including but not limited to claims involving public entities and their employees, construction defect and site accidents, general liability, dram shop, the Child Victims Act, child sexual abuse, premises liability, product liability, architect and engineer liability, attorney professional liability, toxic tort, asbestos, wrongful death, false arrest, excessive force, and environmental torts. He has handled thousands of cases and claims involving personal injury and property damage, and is also experienced in appellate practice. Over the course of his career, Joe has represented numerous clients including school districts, principals, administrators, teachers, cities, towns, boroughs, elected officials, police officers across all rankings, correctional officers, wardens, prisons, commercial property owners, property managers, residential homeowners, snow removal contractors, retail establishments, restaurants, general contractors, subcontractors, construction managers, product manufacturers, product distributors, product sellers, licensed professionals, oil companies, gas stations, and trucking companies. 

Joe’s focus on the defense of a matter is always based on responsiveness, collaborative work style, and results-oriented strategies. Placing a high premium on consistently exceeding clients’ expectations, Joe quickly identifies potential risks and works in concert with clients to develop focused and effective defense tactics that are also cost-effective. Once a client has decided that a matter cannot be resolved prior to trial, Joe stands ready and willing to take the case to verdict. He has over 30 jury verdicts to his name, and has also prepared several dozen cases for trial that resolved at some point prior to jury deliberation. 

Over the years, Joe has lectured at CLE seminars on topics such as selecting a jury in a civil case, legal ethics, litigating slip, trip, and fall cases in New Jersey, asbestos and talc, deposition dos and don’ts, keys to jury selection in a civil case, and premises liability in New Jersey. 

From 2009-2018, Joe served as a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Jury Selection in Criminal and Civil Trials. He has also been a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for Deposition Checklists and Strategies by James Publishing. He is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association. 

Joe is a Certified Civil Trial Attorney, a certification granted by the New Jersey Supreme Court to less than 2% of attorneys in New Jersey. Since 1993, Joe has received the Martindale Hubbell AV Preeminent rating and has also been selected as one of the Top Lawyers of New Jersey and New Jersey’s Top Legal Minds in General Practice, Personal Injury, and Product Liability, as published in Inside Jersey.

Published Opinions

Publications

Certifications

Pro Bono & Philanthropy

Admissions

• State Bar Admissions
  • New Jersey
  • New York
• United States District Courts
  • United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
  • United States District Court for the Western District of New York
• United States Courts of Appeals
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
• United States Supreme Court

Associations

• New Jersey Bar Association
• New York State Bar Association

Awards & Honors

• Martindale Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating, 1993 – Present
• Top Lawyers of New Jersey, 2013
• New Jersey's Top Legal Minds-General Practice, Personal Injury and Products Liability, 2012

Education

Seton Hall Law Center

Juris Doctor, 1982

Rutgers College

Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration, 1978

Representative Matters

• General liability
• Child victims
• Premises liability
• Product liability
• Professional liability
• Construction site injury
• Toxic Tort
• Asbestos
• Construction defect claims