Joseph A. McNelis, Esq.
Associate, Fox Rothschild LLP
Joe focuses his practice on the litigation of labor and employment matters
and commercial disputes. He has extensive experience in wage-and-hour actions,
as well as wrongful termination litigation and contract disputes. He regularly
handles matters in the Pennsylvania state courts and in federal courts
throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the Midwest.
Joe is also a member of Fox’s Cannabis Law Practice Group. He regularly
writes for "In the Weeds," the firm’s Cannabis Law blog, where he tracks legal
developments in this highly regulated industry in Pennsylvania and nationwide.
He is also a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Medical Marijuana and
Hemp Law Committee, where he leads the Employment Law Subcommittee.
*Please
be mindful that possessing, using, distributing and/or selling marijuana is a
federal crime, and no legal advice we give is intended to provide any guidance
or assistance in violating federal law nor will it provide any guidance or
assistance in complying with federal law. Please also note that we are not
advising you regarding the federal, state or local tax consequences of engaging
in any business in this industry.
Representative
Matters
- Wage-and-hour and class action litigation matters for a major satellite
television service provider and one of its largest subcontractors. In this
capacity, Joe has conducted more than 40 depositions and regularly
participates in drafting discovery and dispositive motions.
- Fraud and breach of contract claims against a construction contractor.
Helped secure the voluntary withdrawal of all claims.
Defended a senior living community in a wrongful eviction action by a former
resident.
Before Fox Rothschild
Prior to joining Fox,
Joe was an attorney for a Pennsylvania-based law firm where he handled insurance
defense matters.
During law school, Joe was a legal intern to the
Honorable Thomas J. Rueter of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District
of Pennsylvania. He also worked as a law clerk for a Delaware Valley-based law
firm and a legal intern in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for
the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Joe was also a Notes and Comments
Editor of the Temple Journal of Science, Technology & Environmental Law. He
also served as the Temple Law Student Liaison to the Philadelphia Bar
Association Young Lawyers Division and as a coach of St. Joseph’s Preparatory
School Mock Trial Team.
While in college, Joe studied abroad at the
Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain.
Beyond Fox
Rothschild
Joe is Secretary of the Young Lawyers Section of the
Montgomery Bar Association and previously served as Treasurer and Community
Outreach Liaison. He also serves as the Assistant Editor of the Montgomery
County Law Reporter.
Honors & Awards
Selected to
the 2017 Montgomery Bar Association Leadership Academy
Practice Areas
Labor & Employment
Employment
Class Actions
Employment Litigation
Wage & Hour
Law
Litigation
E-Discovery
Cannabis Law
Bar
Admissions
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Court Admissions
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. District
Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court, Middle District
of Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania
U.S.
District Court, District of New Jersey
U.S. District Court, Northern District
of Illinois
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana
U.S.
District Court, Eastern District of
Wisconsin
Education
Temple University James E.
Beasley School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2013)
Order of the Coif
Fordham
University (B.A., 2010)
Memberships
Montgomery Bar
Association
Assistant Editor, Montgomery County Law Reporter
Young
Lawyers’ Section Secretary
Pennsylvania Bar Association
Medical Marijuana
and Hemp Law Committee (Chair, Employment Law Subcommittee)
