About Stephen Joseph
Stephen Joseph is a litigation, corporate, real estate and government relations attorney with decades of practice. He represents large and small businesses and individuals and is a member of the California and District of Columbia bars.
- 1979
Washington lobbyist, 1979 to 1984
He testified before Senate and House subcommittees and was responsible for the passage of two ocean energy bills on behalf of Westinghouse. He also worked on defense procurement and aviation matters.
$24 million National Defense Stockpile contract
He obtained a $24 million contract for the mining company Gécamines to supply cobalt to the National Defense Stockpile.
- 1985
Criminal defense attorney
From 1985 to 1987 he practiced criminal law in the District of Columbia Superior Court and won his first jury trial.
- 1987
Founded a D.C. general law practice
In 1987 he co-founded Kline & Joseph, which focused on business and non-business litigation, bankruptcy and personal injury.
$900,000 informed consent jury verdict
He won a medical malpractice jury trial against a doctor based on a lack of informed consent.
International aircraft brokerage
He owned an international aircraft brokerage with offices in Washington, D.C. and London.
- 1989
$2.8 million ITT trial victory, affirmed by the California Supreme Court
From 1989 to 1995 he fought ITT Commercial Finance over the repossession of a cargo aircraft, won a $2.8 million judgment at trial and argued the case in the California Supreme Court, which upheld the ruling 7–0.
- 1988
The missile attack case
He took to trial an airline's case against the U.S. Government after a DC-7 was shot down over Western Sahara in 1988. The Board found officials knew about the missiles and failed to tell the crews. No compensation was awarded.
- 1997
Moved to California, 1997
He practiced in San Francisco before moving to Los Angeles.
- 2001
SF Graffiti Busters and the Green Patrol
He sued San Francisco over graffiti on parking signs; the city cleaned over 20,000. He then proposed the San Francisco Green Patrol, launched in 2001.
- 2018
The Ban Trans Fat campaign
He sued Kraft over trans fat in Oreo cookies and McDonald's over its fries ($10.5 million settlement, including legal fees), served on the American Heart Association trans fat panel, created a trans fat-free city in Tiburon, and worked on the New York City and California bans. Trans fat was banned nationwide in 2018. He won the Levian award in 2007.
The plastics industry
He became the principal U.S. attorney for the plastic bag industry. One case reached the California Supreme Court, which ruled that businesses had standing to demand environmental impact reports.
The distracted driving case
He sued Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung over the lack of warnings about distracted driving. The case was not successful.
Present practice
He represents major real estate developers and owners in Los Angeles, and businesses and individuals, in litigation and transactional matters. He is lead counsel for Triple Five in a major case in Florida.
Major settlements
$24 million from a major automobile manufacturer; a case involving a real estate transaction valued at over $100 million; recent settlements of $11 million and $3.5 million.
Extensive media coverage
He has appeared on national television and been profiled by national newspapers and magazines.
Each result depended on the facts of that matter. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any other case.