Joe Napiltonia

Education

Georgetown University, B.A.
University of Florida, J.D.

Joe's law practice focuses on representing injured people in a wide range of litigation from auto accidents to the families of wrongful death victims in state and federal court. He also devotes a substantial amount of his practice to representing Veterans. Joe provides legal representation to Reserve and National Guard personnel as well as veterans throughout the country in Veterans Disability Benefits and USERRA claims. Joe has also argued cases before the Tennessee Court of Appeals and the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals.

Before entering the practice of law, Joe Napiltonia served six years as a Navy SEAL. Joe's experience as a Navy SEAL has shaped the way he practices law. He takes a tough, aggressive approach in every case. While a SEAL, Joe served in combat in Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993. For his service he was awarded a Combat Action Ribbon and a Commendation from the Secretary of the Navy Click here to read the commendation.

Joe also served with former Navy SEALs, former Army Special Forces, and former Marine Force Recon personnel in Afghanistan as a private security contractor working on various assignments for the U.S. Department of State. While working in Afghanistan, Joe was dispatched to the city of Herat on the Iranian border, the city of Quonduz on the Tajikistan border, the city of Mazar-e-Shariff on the Uzbekistan border, and the southern city of Kandahar - a Taliban stronghold. His experiences both serving in uniform and alongside those in uniform give him a unique understanding of what many of them have gone through.

In addition to practicing law, Joe volunteers his time as an ombudsman with the Department of Defense's Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Program (ESGR) which assists servicemembers and their employers mediate disputes. Often times these disputes involve a servicemember whose employer has refused to reemploy him or her after returning from a deployment overseas. Joe is a graduate of the Basic and Advanced Ombudsman USERRA Training Courses. In 2010, Joe was awarded the Seven SEALs Award by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs for his meritorious leadership and initiative in support of the men and women in the National Guard and Reserve. Joe was also nominated in 2010 as the ESGR Ombudsman of the Year for the United States.

Joe has also worked with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to develop an underage alcohol awareness program to be presented in Middle Schools throughout the state of Tennessee. Having represented victims of drunk driving, Joe knows the devastation they can cause by their careless actions.

Professional Honors and Achievements

Board of Governors, Tennessee Association for Justice

(Formerly Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association)

Chair, Military Affairs Committee, Tennessee Association for Justice
Board of Governors, Citizen Action
Seven Seals Award from the Undersecretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs
Graduate of the U.S. Navy's Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) School, Class 176
Graduate of the U.S. Army's Special Forces Military Freefall Jumpmaster Course, Ft. Bragg, N.C.
Graduate of the Naval Special Warfare Freefall Course
Graduate of the Naval Special Warfare Static Line Jumpmaster Course
Graduate of the U.S. Army Airborne Course, Ft. Benning, GA
President, University of Florida Law School Trial Lawyers Association

Bar Admissions

Tennessee
Middle District of Tennessee

Memberships

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
UDT/Navy SEAL Association
Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association
Tennessee Association for Justice (TAJ)
American Association for Justice (AAJ)

Speaking Engagements and Published Writings

Presenter, USERRA Case Law Update,

Tennessee Association for Justice 2009 Annual Convention.

View my attorney profile on FindaPersonalInjuryAttorney.com.