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 (2007-22)
Kentucky Super Lawyers® (2012-18, 2021)
Chambers USA: "America's Leading Lawyers for Business," Litigation: General Commercial (2008-14)
Benchmark Litigation magazine, Litigation Star (2008, 2009, 2013-22)
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 . . .
