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 of the Business Litigation Service Group, which is home to approximately 60 attorneys and paralegals and is co-chair and co-founder of the firm's 20 member Class Action Defense Practice Group. His practice emphasis is in class action defense and other complex business and business insurance litigation.
With regard to his class action defense practice, Mr. Hamilton has been counsel in over 150 class actions during the last 25 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 major representative clients include: ING Group, Inc. and subsidiaries and affiliates; 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.
Class Action Defense Practice Group, Co-Chair
Diversity Committee, Member
Business Litigation Service Group, Past Chair
University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law
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Vice President of the Student Bar Association
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Member of the Honor Council
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Member of the Student-Faculty Liaison Committee
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Dean's List
Williams College
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).
Martindale-Hubbell® AV-Preeminent® Peer Review Rated
Best Lawyers in America®, Bet-the-Company Litigation and Commercial Litigation (2007-20)
Kentucky Super Lawyers® (2012-18)
Chambers USA: "America's Leading Lawyers for Business," Litigation: General Commercial (2008-14)
Benchmark Litigation magazine, Litigation Star (2008, 2009, 2013-19)
Louisville Magazine's "Top Lawyers" for Class Action Law (2013, 2014)
. . . always a pleasure to work with Joe Hamilton. He is proactive, thorough, knowledgeable, and bright—a professional of the highest caliber.
A great class action defense lawyer.
. . . has a certain style that goes down well with colleagues and judges . . .
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 in America Honors 75 Stites & Harbison attorneys for 2020
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Best Lawyers in America© 2020 has recognized 75 Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorneys as selected by their peers in 49 areas of practice. Forty-three of those attorneys selected have been honored for 10 consecutive years or more.
Benchmark Litigation 2019 Honors 15 Stites & Harbison Attorneys
Best Lawyers in America honors 72 Stites & Harbison attorneys for 2019
Benchmark Litigation honors 16 Stites & Harbison attorneys for 2018
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The 2018 edition of Benchmark Litigation names 11 Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorneys as “Litigation Stars” and five as “Future Stars” in Kentucky.
Kentucky Super Lawyers honors 51 Stites & Harbison attorneys for 2018
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The 2018 edition of Kentucky Super Lawyers recently honored 55 Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorneys in the Covington, Frankfort, Lexington and Louisville, Ky., offices. The publication named 39 attorneys to the Super Lawyers list and 12 attorneys to the Rising Stars list.
Best Lawyers in America honors 79 Stites & Harbison attorneys for 2018
Kentucky Super Lawyers honors 55 Stites & Harbison attorneys for 2017
Benchmark Litigation honors 14 Stites & Harbison attorneys for 2017
Best Lawyers in America honors 74 Stites & Harbison attorneys for 2017
Kentucky Super Lawyers honors 64 Stites & Harbison attorneys for 2016
Benchmark Litigation names 14 Stites & Harbison Litigation Stars and Two Future Stars for 2016
Best Lawyers honors 72 Stites & Harbison attorneys for 2016
Super Lawyers honor Stites & Harbison's Kentucky Attorneys
Benchmark Litigation names 15 Stites & Harbison Litigation Stars and two Future Stars
Best Lawyers honors 89 Stites & Harbison attorneys for 2015
Chambers USA honors Stites & Harbison attorneys for 2014
Super Lawyers honors Stites & Harbison's Kentucky attorneys for 2013-14
Eighty-nine Stites & Harbison attorneys honored by Best Lawyers in America for 2014
Seventy-five Stites & Harbison attorneys honored in Best Lawyers in America
Chambers USA honors 32 Stites & Harbison attorneys with inclusion in the 2010 guide
Seventy-two Stites & Harbison attorneys honored in "Best Lawyers in America"