Joe Hernandez concentrates his practice in white-collar criminal defense and complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts. He joined the firm in April 2019 and previously was a trial lawyer with a boutique litigation firm in Virginia concentrating in construction and commercial litigation, toxic torts, and criminal defense. In his career, he has served as lead or second-chair trial counsel several times and successfully resolved numerous other cases through pleas and mediation.
He has represented individuals and companies from a variety of industries, including healthcare and life sciences, financial services, condo associations, leisure, and restaurants. Immediately after law school, he served in the Maryland Office of the Public Defender in Prince George's County managing upwards of thirty cases per day in court. Notable experiences include the following:
- Secured dismissal of felony receipt of stolen property charges in Massachusetts Superior Court;
- Represent individuals in relations to federal grand jury investigations implicating a variety of fraud related statutes;
- Secured a defense verdict for a Virginia retail establishment in a complicated lease dispute with the landlord;
- Bell, et al. v. WestRock, CP, et al. (3:17-cv-829 E.D. Va.) (class-action claiming nuisance and trespass from fugitive dust; class certified and case settled);
- Federico v. Lincoln Military Housing (2:12-cv-80, E.D. Va.) (case of first impression that presented evidence to a jury linking brain damage caused by toxic mold exposure);
- Member of the investigation team at the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill & Offshore Drilling that published the definitive report on the root causes of the Macondo blowout and 2011 Gulf oil spill.
Mr. Hernandez graduated in 2014 from American University Washington College of Law where he co-founded and served as Executive Editor for the Criminal Law Practitioner, a publication dedicated to producing practical articles for attorneys specializing in criminal law. He is a 2008 graduate of Yale University where he was a four-year member of the varsity golf team and 2008 First-Team All-Ivy League.
