Joseph A. Catania, Jr.

"Smart, Prepared, Creative, Problem Solver, Determined"

High praise indeed, but typical of that bestowed by clients and lawyers alike who place their alternative dispute resolution or trial matters in Joe's hands.

  BUSINESS TRIAL LAWYER, ARBITRATOR AND MEDIATOR  

Joe represents businesses and individual clients in all types of complex business, corporate, real property and estate disputes. He guides clients in the construction process and through resolution of disputes through all phases of the job. He represents individuals in shareholder derivative, corporate waste, theft of corporate opportunity and employment/restrictive covenant disputes. His areas of arbitration or mediation experience include real property disputes, estate litigation, business, partnership and corporate and business-to-business litigation. He represents lawyers, doctors, architects, engineers and design professionals in the defense of claims against them. He handles matters in all Mid-Hudson counties, including Orange, Rockland, Dutchess, Ulster and the Greater Mid-Hudson Region, north and south. Joe's reputation for skill and guidance in business and professional claims has prompted many client and attorney/colleague referrals.  This depth of experience makes him well-suited to the roles of arbitrator and mediator.

"It gives me great satisfaction to be able to help other professionals and business leaders through difficult disputes and litigation. It demands an additional skill set as a trial lawyer. You have to be able to identify the best goal for the client, taking into account not only the legal merit of the claims or defense, but cost-effectiveness, customer preservation and professional business reputation.  As a mediator, the same skills come into play: Identifying the goals of the parties and navigating the way to the most efficient and satisfactory dispute resolution to everyone’s benefit".

So often, the referring attorney, when sending a client to Joe will state: "Joe, I told the client: 'If I were in trouble - you're the guy I'd want to represent me'".

  CONSTRUCTION LAWYER  

Joe has represented clients in the construction industry for the past four decades. His deep understanding of construction means and methods assists greatly in handling of construction disputes, whether played out in arbitration or in Court.

Joe takes pride in his ability to identify the critical issues in a matter and the objectives of the client to seek efficient, cost-effective and early resolution of disputes. However, if that is not able to be accomplished because of the intransience of one or more of the parties or the parties’ positions are simply too far apart, Joe's wide-ranging trial experience is brought to bear on a compelling presentation of evidence on the client's behalf and effective and probing cross-examination of opposing parties’ testimony at trial.

Joe has been an arbitrator on the Construction and Commercial panels of the American Arbitration Association for over twenty-five years and an independent Mediator for nearly as long. Joe's view from the other side of the table, as an arbitrator or mediator, has served to sharpen his understanding of the appropriate presentation of proof in a convincing way to move the decision makers in contested matters toward his clients’ position. Joe has handled, as an arbitrator or mediator, all types of construction litigation from matters involving structural steel bridges and bridge deck design and repair, site work and infrastructure claims, to tower crane failures. 

  RECOGNIZED FOR SKILL AND ETHICAL PRACTICE  

Joe has been rated by his peers through Martindale-Hubbel as representing the highest level of skill and ethics (AV rating), confirmed by a similar designation afforded by the judges before whom he practices (AV rating M.H. Judicial Edition). Joe is proud to have been recognized for his trial achievements by the American Association for Justice, a trial lawyer's peer group, who designated him a Diplomat of the National Board of Trial Advocacy after successful achievements on national testing of trial law and ethics, significant number of cases tried to verdict and peer review recommendations from judges and other attorneys, including adversaries. He is proud to be one of a small number of designated lawyers in New York State.

Joe continues to receive accolades as a trial lawyer. He has been ranked as one of the region's Super Lawyers for the past 14 consecutive years. Super Lawyers is an annual listing of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process includes peer nominations, a blue ribbon panel review by leading attorneys from each practice area and independent research on the candidates. Factors considered and reviewed include background and years of experience in their primary area of law, the number of cases or transactions handled, representative clients, major verdicts, honors and awards, position within the bar, scholarly work, lectures and pro bono activity. Only the top 5% of the licensed attorneys in the state are selected.

The Litigation Counsel of America, an honorary trial lawyers' society, constituted of less than one half of a percent of American lawyers, invited Joe to its highly selective membership.

The National Association of Distinguished Counsel has named Joe to its ranks of the Nation's Top One Percent of Attorneys.

He has been recognized for skill and achievement as one of the leading Business Litigation lawyers in the region and for his excellence and achievements by Hudson Valley Magazine and New York Magazine.

Joe graduated from Boston College in 1972 and Albany Law School of Union University in 1977. He is admitted to all New York State courts, Southern and Northern District Federal courts, the Federal Second Circuit Court of Appeals and U.S. Supreme Court.

Joe is a member of a number of professional associations, including the American Association of Justice, the National Board of Trial Advocacy, the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, the New York State Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, the American Arbitration Panel of Commercial and Construction Neutrals and the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers.

Joe has a number of publications and speaking engagements as a speaker and author to his name, including: Lecturer and author: Discovery Techniques. National Business Institute Seminar; Lecturer and author, Labor Law Update. NYS Bar Association - Insurance, Negligence and Compensation Law Section Seminar; Lecturer and author, Malpractice and Legal Ethics, Lohrman, Inc.; Lecturer and author, NYS Bar Association Legal Malpractice Seminar; Lecturer and author: Legal Malpractice and Labor Law- Update: Recent Developments in Personal Injury Law, New York State Bar Association; Lecturer and author: Avoiding Legal Malpractice. FLG&P CLE Program; Lecturer and author: Damages in New York: Opening and- Closing Statements, National Business Institute.

Joe grew up in Newburgh, NY, where he met and married his childhood sweetheart, Pamela, and now lives in the Town of Newburgh with her, where he pursues his other passions of family, food, fly-fishing, cycling and skiing.

  My Promise To You 

 I promise that I will treat you with courtesy and respect.

I promise I will work hard for you.

I promise that I will try to answer your concerns and questions promptly and straight from the shoulder. No spin.

I promise I will not mislead you with respect to the circumstances of your case, the chances of recovery or the amount anticipated.

I promise, in my role as mediator or arbitrator, that I will do my utmost to be fair and unbiased and to work hard to help you resolve your dispute or to render a just award.

I promise I will respect your secrets and privacy.

I promise I will try at all times to fight as hard for you as I can, while conducting myself, at all times on your behalf, ethically and responsibly.

If you are an attorney for a party and believe that Mr. Catania is the appropriate person to help resolve, as either arbitrator or mediator, a dispute for one of your clients, please don't hesitate to contact him at (845)565-1100 or jcatania@cmrlaw.com.