Joseph A. Catania, Jr.
Commercial, Contract and Business Litigation
Real Property and Estate Litigation
Commercial and Construction Arbitration and Mediation
With over 43 years’ experience as a trial attorney, arbitrator and mediator, Mr. Catania has earned the respect of both plaintiff and defense lawyers alike. His is widely known as a “common sense” Arbitrator and Mediator, able to cut through the “noise” of litigation and identify key areas of dispute and proof, results in fair, deliberative and reasonable awards as an arbitrator and an ability to persuade parties forward, crafting their own fair and unique resolution of disputes when fulfilling the role of mediator. His trial practice is currently devoted to construction, commercial, corporate, partnership, professional malpractice (attorney, physician, accountant, engineer/architect) employment law (covenants not to compete; theft of corporate secrets, discrimination claims) and business litigation. He gained his extensive trial and evaluative experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in these and personal injury matters, ranging from motor vehicle to product liability and construction accidents.
Joe has been rated as among the Top 5% of Upstate New York Attorneys every year since 2007. Rated in 2015 in top 1% of Counsel in the nation. He commands an AV rating in Martindale-Hubbell, including its Judicial Edition.
These experiences, together with his work with the AAA Commercial and Construction Panels, have made Joe intimately familiar with the arbitration and mediation process, from the perspective of arbitrator, mediator and litigants’ counsel.
Mr. Catania currently practices in New York State courts in Orange, Columbia, Green, Dutchess, Ulster, Sullivan and Westchester Counties and in the Northern and Southern Districts of the Federal Court System. He is available to mediate or arbitrate cases throughout New York State.
Alternate Dispute Resolution Experience:
Over 40 years representing clients in arbitration and mediation and over 30 years as an AAA neutral on construction and commercial panels.
Handled as a Mediator: Major construction disputes; homeowner contract and warranty construction claims; corporate and partnership dissolution and valuation of entities; business tort claims; consumer and personal injury claims.
Handled as an Arbitrator: Commercial, contract, partnership and shareholder disputes; large and small construction claims; environmental impact claims; employment contract disputes.
Affiliations
American Arbitration Association, Construction and Commercial Neutral
Defense Research Institute
American Association for Justice
NYS Academy of Trial Lawyers, Charter Member
Orange County Bar Association
New York State Bar Association
Association for Conflict Resolution
- Albany Law School of Union University, Albany, New York, J.D. 1977
- Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, B.A. Economics 1972
New York
Southern District of New York
Northern District of New York
U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit
U.S. Supreme Court
- Martindale Hubbell’s AV Preeminent Attorney, 2013-2025
- Martindale Hubbell’s AV Preeminent Attorney Judicial Edition, 2017-2025
- The American Registry’s America’s Most Honored Lawyers, top 1%, 2020-2021
- The Lawyers of Distinction’s Top Rated Lawyers in New York, 2020-2021
- Hudson Valley Magazine’s Top Attorneys in Upstate New York, 2014-2021
- Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, 2014-2020
- Qualified in 2015 for inclusion in the Worldwide Registry of Executives, Professionals, and Entrepreneurs
- Rated in 2015 as Nation’s Top One Percent, by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel
“Damages in New York: Opening and Closing Statements”, National Business Institute
“Legal Malpractice and Labor Law Update: Recent Developments in Personal Injury Law”, New York State Bar Association
“Legal Ethics and Malpractice in New York”, Lorman Education Services
“Discovery Techniques”, National Business Institute
“Author, Labor Law Update”, NYS Bar Association – Insurance, Negligence and Compensation Law Section
“Lecturer, Malpractice and Legal Ethics”, Lohrman Inc
“Author, NYS Bar Association Legal Malpractice Seminar”
“Author, Legal Malpractice and Labor Law Update: Recent Developments in Personal Injury Law”, New York State Bar Association
“Author, Damages in New York: Opening and Closing Statements”, National Business Institute
- Lecturer, “Damages in New York: Opening and Closing Statements”, National Business Institute
- Lecturer, “Legal Malpractice and Labor Law Update: Recent Developments in Personal Injury Law”, New York State Bar Association
Lecturer, “Avoiding Legal Malpractice”, FLG&P CLE Program - Lecturer, “Legal Ethics and Malpractice in New York”, Lorman Education Services
- Lecturer, “Discovery Techniques”, National Business Institute Seminar
- Lecturer, Labor Law Update, NYS Bar Association – Insurance, Negligence and Compensation Law Section Seminar
- Lecturer, Malpractice and Legal Ethics, Lohrman, Inc.
- Lecturer, NYS Bar Association Legal Malpractice
- Lecturer, Legal Malpractice and Labor Law Update:Recent Developments in Personal Injury Law , New York State Bar Association
- Lecturer, Avoiding Legal Malpractice, FLG&P CLE Program
- Lecturer, Damages in New York: Opening and Closing Statements, National
