Joseph (Joel) Blitch is co-founder of Blitch Westley Barrette, where he, along with his wife Bridgette and partner Dick, established the firm with a drive to provide exceptional litigation service to their clients. Joel’s practice involves representing clients in complex cases involving multi-million dollar disputes and the defense of catastrophic claims. Joel is not only a zealous advocate for his clients, but is relentless in his pursuit of his client’s successful defense or prosecution of a claim. If you want an attorney that will not rest until every stone is turned, is an oral advocate, and drafts legal documents with precision and clarity, Joel is your attorney. Joel has a national practice representing motor carriers in worst-case scenario motor vehicle accidents. Joel serves as independent counsel to the motor carrier and when necessary, gets admitted pro hac vice along with assigned defense counsel to ensure that all steps are taken to mitigate risk of an adverse outcome. Joel also manages his own docket in the defense of serious motor vehicle accidents in the state of Florida and works with a team of professionals to provide rapid responses when accidents happen.
In addition to high-stakes claims, Joel also works with his corporate clients in avoiding employment litigation through proven strategies aimed at preventing employment-related claims through supervisory training, the provision of day-to-day advice in response to internal complaints, and the preparation of employer procedures and policies aimed at level-setting employee expectation and improving employee morale and productivity. He is also well adept at conducting mock audits of employer records in preparation for governmental audits regarding employment and transportation law issues. Joel has represented employers in the full gamut of labor and employment-related claims, with emphasis on FLSA claims, FMLA claims, whistleblower claims and claims of discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Associations
- Conference of Freight Counsel, Member
- Transportation Lawyers Association (TLA), Member
- Women in Trucking, Member
- Florida Trucking Association, Member
Education
- University of Florida College of Law, Juris Doctor, With Honors
- Teaching Assistant in Contracts, Torts, Civil Procedure
- Honors, Legal Writing and Appellate Advocacy
- University of Central Florida
- Bachelor of Arts, Summa Cum Laude
Admissions to Practice
- The Florida Bar, 1995 to Present
- The Wisconsin Bar
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court Western District of Wisconsin
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court