Joseph Froetschel - Pittsburgh, PA

Joseph Froetschel is a founding partner of Phillips Froetschel. His practice involves all aspects of plaintiff personal injury including medical malpractice, construction litigation, nursing home negligence, insurance litigation, product liability, premises liability, liquor liability, and catastrophic motor vehicle collisions. He has individually obtained tens of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements on behalf of clients throughout Western Pennsylvania. Joe has successfully argued before every appellate court within the Commonwealth. He is a frequent author of amicus briefs on medical malpractice issues such as peer review, evidentiary issues, and mandatory arbitration agreements.

Joe is an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he currently teaches Advanced Pennsylvania Torts, and has been a frequent guest lecturer in Trial Advocacy and Pennsylvania Practice. He has also been the planner, moderator, author, and lecturer on numerous continuing legal education courses, including: The Pennsylvania Association for Justice's Annual Medical Malpractice Seminar; Bill Cosby: the Rise, Fall, and Release of America's Dad; Breakfast with the Judges; the Pennsylvania Bar Institute's three-part Pretrial Practice Series; and the Pennsylvania CLE Board's Bridging the Gap for newly admitted lawyers.

In recognition of his professional accomplishments, Joe has been inducted as a member of the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, an invitation-only organization of premier trial lawyers. He is A/V rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating for both legal ability and personal qualities like reliability, diligence, and ethics, and has received a perfect 5.0 rating by his peers. Joe has been named of one of the National Trial Lawyers Association's American Society of Legal Advocate's "Top 40 Under 40," as well as a "Top 10 Under 40" by the National Association of Personal Injury Attorneys. Joe has also been repeatedly recognized as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer "Rising Star" in the field of plaintiff's medical malpractice and personal injury litigation, and recently, a Medical Malpractice Super Lawyer. In 2019, he was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to serve as a Hearing Committee Member for the Disciplinary Board.

In addition to his professional achievements, Joe has been an active member and contributor to numerous professional organizations. He is a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Governors for the Pennsylvania Association for Justice. He is on the Membership Committee for the American Association for Justice and the Board of Governors of the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association. He serves on the Local Rules Committee, the Ally Initiative, Membership, and has been an officer for the Allegheny County Bar Association's Civil Litigation Section, culminating with his service as the Chair in 2022. He is also the 2023 Chair of the Allegheny County Bench-Bar Conference.

In addition to his community service work, he has served as a pro bono attorney for Neighborhood Legal Services Association, as a volunteer for the transgender name change project, as a trial attorney for the Federal Pro Bono Prison Rights Program, and is a Sustaining Fellow of the Allegheny County Bar Foundation. He was a member the Allegheny County Bar Association's 2008-2009 Bar Leadership Initiative that implemented the "Wills for Heroes" pro bono project providing free estate documents to first responders throughout Allegheny County. After its inaugural year, Joe served as the Western District Coordinator of the Wills for Heroes program for an additional five years, organizing numerous events throughout Western Pennsylvania that provided counseling and assistance to hundreds of local police, fire fighters, and emergency medical providers.

Outside of the office, Joe was named as one of Pittsburgh Magazine's "40 Under 40." He served as a Committee Member for the Pittsburgh Symphony Soiree and the Children's Trust for the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. He is an avid cyclist, fly-fisher, skier, hiker, scuba diver, and participates in several recreational soccer and hockey leagues. On winter weekends, he is a ski instructor at Hidden Valley. A life-long Pittsburgher, Joe was raised in the South Hills and now lives on the North Side.