Bio
Joseph N. Bongiovanni is a Principal in the Firm's Professional Liability and Casualty Litigation Departments. He represents clients in complex litigation including claims involving medical malpractice, professional liability, premises liability, and products liability, among others.
Between college and law school, Joe worked in Washington D.C. for the Corporation for National Service and the AmeriCorps program where he helped implement and support national service programs throughout the country through close coordination with the White House and members of Congress.
Joe is an active volunteer in his community and coordinates Post & Schell’s annual Week of Giving, which benefits communities and individuals throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. He is also a Member of the Board of the Philadelphia Chapter of Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF). IICF helps communities and enriches lives by combining the collective strengths of the industry to provide grants, volunteer service, and leadership.
In 2020, he was appointed as a Hearing Committee Member of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Joe serves as an Author and Editor of a fifteen-volume legal encyclopedia titled The Pennsylvania Transaction Guide. For 2020-2021, he was the recipient of a "Grand Slam Gavel" recognizing outstanding defense for TeamHealth providers. He has been named a Super Lawyer from 2014 through 2024 in the category of Professional Liability: Defense, and was named a Super Lawyer Rising Star (for top attorneys in Pennsylvania under the age of 40) from 2007 through 2013. For information about these selections and an overview of common third-party publications, rankings, and list methodologies, click here.
Education
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J.D., Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, 2001
Executive Editor, Political and Civil Rights Law Review; Vice President-Student Bar Association - B.A., University of Pennsylvania, 1995
Bar Memberships
- New Jersey (2001)
- Pennsylvania (2001)
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey (2001)
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (2001)
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania (2010)
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court (2012)
Affiliations
- Member of the Board, Philadelphia Chapter of Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF)
- Hearing Committee Member of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Clerkship
- Honorable Ronald D. Castille, Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Representative Matters
- Following oral argument at the start of trial and consistent with written submissions and motions, obtained dismissal of client/doctor in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in a case alleging failed diagnosis of stroke by emergency medicine provider(s).
- Obtained a defense verdict for an electrical supplier following a two-week jury trial in Philadelphia County, Court of Common Pleas. While at work in a factory, the plaintiff, a factory employee, crawled under equipment to clean residue from the moving rollers of a conveyor belt when his arm became entangled in the rollers and he sustained catastrophic injuries to his wrist, arm, and shoulder. Plaintiff, who initially demanded $8 million, claimed permanent and disabling injury of his dominant arm, a complete inability to return to work, and the requirement of lifelong medical care.
- Following oral argument and written submissions, secured summary judgment and dismissal in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on behalf of a psychiatric nurse whose employer had contracted with a correctional facility to provide inmate mental health care, in a case where the decedent’s estate alleged the defendants denied the decedent adequate medical care, causing his death by suicide, and violating his constitutional rights.
- Obtained summary judgment in the Court of Common Pleas, Washington County, PA on behalf of a comprehensive health and human service provider and its affiliate corporation in a case where the decedent’s estate alleged that the negligence of defendants and the defendants’ failure to supervise the decedent while she was residing in a community residential rehabilitation services facility caused the decedent’s death.
- Obtained summary judgment in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Camden County on behalf of an emergency medicine provider in a case where the plaintiff alleged that the defendant medical providers and hospitals’ failure to timely treat and diagnose a post-partum infection caused severe injuries.
- Following a 2 ½ week jury trial in Philadelphia County, obtained defense verdict on behalf of a physician assistant in a case where the decedent’s estate alleged that the defendants failed to diagnose the decedent with deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism, leading to the decedent’s death.
News & Insights
Education
-
J.D., Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, 2001
Executive Editor, Political and Civil Rights Law Review; Vice President-Student Bar Association - B.A., University of Pennsylvania, 1995
Bar Memberships
- New Jersey (2001)
- Pennsylvania (2001)
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey (2001)
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (2001)
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania (2010)
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court (2012)
Affiliations
- Member of the Board, Philadelphia Chapter of Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF)
- Hearing Committee Member of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Clerkship
- Honorable Ronald D. Castille, Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court