Joseph J. Joyce, III is a founding shareholder and President of the firm. Mr. Joyce focuses his practice on commercial litigation, civil rights, employment law, education law, civil defense, insurance coverage, municipal law, eminent domain and real estate taxation. Mr. Joyce represents clients in both the public and private sectors. Mr. Joyce has extensive civil litigation experience in state, federal and appellate courts, including the defense of complex constitutional claims. He defends administrative, trial and appellate actions focusing often on discrimination claims brought pursuant to Section 1983 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII, Title IX, the Rehabilitation Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Act, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, the Pennsylvania Whistleblower Law and the United States Constitution.
Mr. Joyce serves as solicitor and as Acting Deputy Director of the Lackawanna County Tax Claim Bureau, which collects in excess of $20,000,000.00 annually in delinquent real estate taxes for the taxing districts of Lackawanna County. Mr. Joyce is responsible for, among other things, litigating all claims brought against the Tax Claim Bureau, conducting upset and judicial tax sales, and negotiating private tax sales, repository tax sales and stay of sale agreements.
Mr. Joyce serves on the Board of Directors of NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania. NeighborWorks is a not-for-profit organization that has worked tirelessly over the past 30 years to improve the financial stability of families throughout the City of Scranton, Lackawanna County and Northeastern Pennsylvania by providing meaningful and effective homeownership services.
Mr. Joyce also serves as attorney-in-fact for the Pittston Memorial Library.
Prior to joining the firm Mr. Joyce served as a judicial law clerk for Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Correale F. Stevens formerly of the Pennsylvania Superior Court. During his clerkship Mr. Joyce worked on a variety of novel and complex appellate matters. Mr. Joyce also served as civil law clerk to the Honorable David W. Lupas of the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas.
Mr. Joyce is admitted to practice in the courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
In 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 Mr. Joyce was recognized for his accomplishments by being selected as a Pennsylvania “Rising Star”. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in Pennsylvania are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor.
Mr. Joyce is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and the Roger Williams University School of Law.
Mr. Joyce resides in Scranton with his wife Maggie and three children Joey, Annabel and Remy.