For three decades James P. Joseph has been one of Long Island’s leading independent matrimonial attorneys, with a record of early successes and a well known commitment to his clients. Focused and hard-working, Joseph says he never loses sight of his goal: Achieving an equitable resolution for his clients without inflicting unnecessary financial and emotional damage to the family. “I don’t believe in wasting people’s money,” says Joseph, adding he won’t represent anyone whose goal is to simply extract a ‘pound of flesh’ from their spouses. “My role is to ensure that my clients receive their fair share of the parties’ assets and, to the extent economically feasible, that they can maintain their standard of living post-divorce. At the same time, our firm seeks to avoid unnecessarily increasing the tension level between the parties. When children are involved, the more contentious the divorce, the more damage that is done to the kids. Our firm will not contribute to the animosity simply to satisfy a misdirected client nor to earn a fee.”

Joseph has built a substantial practice that caters to a wide clientele, ranging from business owners, professionals and Wall Street executives to the spouse of billionaire Ronald Perelman. At Hofstra School of Law, Joseph distinguished himself for his involvement in trial advocacy work and upon graduation was honored with both the New York State Bar Association Law Student Legal Ethics Award and the Hofstra Law Service to the School Award.

He began his career in real estate law and general litigation but in his second year joined a firm with a significant matrimonial law practice. For the next five years he focused on matrimonial law. (This time included a period in which he served in the New York State Senate as the Chief Counsel to an old friend, Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr.).

In 1999, he decided to launch his own practice - a decision that reflected an intensity and ambition many attorneys often lack. “I have very high professional standards and only through my own firm could I ensure that my staff and my associates shared these standards.” Today, Joseph Law Group has four attorneys and focuses solely in divorce and family law. Fast-thinking, a quick study, but low-key (“there is almost never a need to yell and scream and rarely are those tactics effective”) Joseph takes pride in the steady growth of his firm. “Preparation is the key to our success and our staff and attorneys are the most dedicated I know.”

Born in Manhattan and raised on Long Island’s South Shore, where he continues to reside, Joseph and his wife have two children.