Senior Member

Joseph L. Hamilton

Joe Hamilton is a Member of the firm and has been based in the Louisville office since 1986. He is a member and past chair of the Business Litigation Service Group, which is home to dozens of attorneys and paralegals. He is also co-chair and co-founder of the firm’s Class Action Defense Practice Group. His practice emphasis is in class action defense litigation and other complex business and business insurance litigation.

With regard to his class action defense practice, Mr. Hamilton has been counsel in over 150 putative class actions during the last 35 years. Those class actions have been concentrated primarily in life insurance, health insurance, ERISA and other insurance and financial product issues. He has defended clients in putative statewide and nationwide class actions on a regional and national basis, representing them in the state or federal courts of more than 25 states from coast to coast.

Recent Assignments

Some of his recent major representative clients include: American Modern Insurance Group and subsidiaries; Farmers Insurance Group and subsidiaries; Assurant, Inc. and subsidiaries; Kentucky Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company; State Auto Insurance Companies; Windstream, Inc.; The Independent Order of Foresters; Auto Owners Insurance and subsidiaries and affiliates; and, Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America and subsidiaries and affiliates.

Bar Admissions

Kentucky

U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky

U.S. Supreme Court

Firm Leadership

Class Action Defense Practice Group, Co-Chair

Diversity Committee, Member

Business Litigation Service Group, Past Chair

Memberships

American Bar Association

Kentucky Bar Association

Louisville Bar Association

Federal Bar Association

International Association of Defense Counsel

Education

J.D.,

1977

University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law

Org / Honor

Vice President of the Student Bar Association

Member of the Honor Council

Member of the Student-Faculty Liaison Committee

Dean’s List

B.A., American Civilization,

1973

Williams College

More Than Stites & Harbison

Following graduation from law school, Joe served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Charles M. Allen of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky at Louisville. In 2010, Joe was elected to the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC).

Accolades

Martindale-Hubbell® AV-Preeminent® Peer Review Rated

Best Lawyers in America®, Bet-the-Company Litigation and Commercial Litigation (2007-25)

Kentucky Super Lawyers® (2012-18, 2021-24)

Chambers USA: “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business,” Litigation: General Commercial (2008-14)

Benchmark Litigation magazine, Litigation Star (2008, 2009, 2013-25)

Louisville Magazine’s “Top Lawyers” for Class Action Law (2013, 2014)

Testimonials

. . . always a pleasure to work with Joe Hamilton. He is proactive, thorough, knowledgeable, and bright—a professional of the highest caliber.

Best Lawyers, client comment

A great class action defense lawyer.

Chambers USA

. . . has a certain style that goes down well with colleagues and judges . . .

Chambers USA

Joe is an excellent litigator . . .thorough understanding of the law . . . very few skilled litigators like Joe that take the time to understand and appreciate the business context . . .

Best Lawyers, client comment