Joseph Petka is one of the most active trial attorneys in Philadelphia and its surrounding counties. He concentrates his practice on defending general liability claims involving catastrophic injuries and medical professional liability cases. He has tried a wide range of cases representing health systems, physicians, practice groups, nurses, and companies sued for security negligence, slip and falls, assaults, construction defective design, medical failure to diagnose, patient falls, pressure ulcers, and dental malpractice. He has obtained countless defense verdicts in jury trials throughout Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester, Bucks, and Montgomery counties. Fox 29 News recently profiled Joe’s successful verdict in a jury trial involving an assault and battery lawsuit. His attention to detail and thorough preparation is a hallmark of his successful representation of his clients.
Throughout his tenure at Goldberg, Miller & Rubin, Joe has also defended hundreds of motor vehicle cases. He was one of the first attorneys in the region to successfully defend a UIM/UM trial to verdict after the Supreme Court overturned the mandatory arbitration requirement in Koken. Since that time, he has obtained defense verdicts in more UIM/UM jury trials than almost any other Philadelphia civil defense attorney. VerdictSearch Magazine regularly features his trial victories.
Joe regularly serves as an arbitrator for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and has been a guest speaker for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. He has given presentations on premises liability defense, uninsured/underinsured motorist case strategy and trial practices, premises defense, and the anatomy of a civil lawsuit.
During law school, he worked for the Chester County District Attorney’s Office. Before that, he served as an infantryman in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and was an amateur boxing champion.
Joe is an avid fan of boxing and politics, enjoys exercise, and resides in Delaware County with his wife and three children.
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GMR is proud to announce that Lori Miller, Jason Rubin, Eamon Merrigan, Richard Castagna, Matthew Moroney, Warren Holland, Joseph Petka, and Jeffrey Tenthoff were selected as Pennsylvania Super Lawyers for 2025, and Brandon Evangelist and Brandon Cohen were selected as Pennsylvania Rising Stars for 2025. This honor showcases their remarkable legal talent and their steadfast focus on achieving the best outcomes for clients.
Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. The result is a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys. The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers magazines and in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers across the country. For more information about Super Lawyers, visit SuperLawyers.com.
Congratulations to everyone who made the 2025 list!
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GMR is proud to announce Lori Miller, Eamon Merrigan, Matt Moroney, Jason Rubin, Richard Castagna, Joseph Petka and Warren Holland were selected as Pennsylvania Super Lawyers for 2024 and Niki Desai, Brandon Cohen, Jessica Smeriglio, and Brandon Evangelist were selected as Pennsylvania Rising Stars for 2024.
Thomas Reuters' Super Lawyers is a patented rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process includes independent research, peer nominations, and peer evaluations.
Congratulations to everyone who made the 2024 list!
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GMR Partner Joseph Petka will present at a CLE hosted by the Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel on December 19th.
The CLE will cover the successful approaches and best practices in pleadings, discovery, and trial. Minefields lurk in civil litigation, and it is imperative to know of them and avoid defense disasters.
To register for this CLE, members can email Sandra Berger at sberger.PADC@gmail.com. Non-members can register through the PADC website.
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GMR Partners Joseph Petka and Harlan Schreiber will speak at conferences in early October.
Joe will present at the annual American Society for Health Care Risk Management (ASHRM) 2023 Conference on October 2nd. He will cover the nuances of investigating, defending, and trying hospital security officer assault cases and discuss a timeline of the facts and issues presented in a case that ultimately went to trial.
Harlan will present at the NYACT NYSSIU Anti-Fraud Fall Conference on October 6th. He will cover regulation 11 NYCRR 65-3.11(a) and independent contractor issues related to No-Fault regulations and case law.
Joe and Harlan are honored to be selected as speakers at their respective conferences and look forward to presenting.
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Attendees will hear from Lori, Joe and Jessica--attorneys with 40 + years of combined experience working closely with University Risk Managers on cases involving slip, trip and falls, snow and ice, assaults, fraternities, construction, fires, vendor relationships, contract and tender issues, and much more. The presentation will be loaded with real-life case examples illustrating practical tools and tips on how to prevent anything and everything from going wrong. The presentation will consist of two main subjects including the importance of early loss investigations with emphasis on speaking to key witnesses, gathering security and incident reports, preserving video surveillance, addressing letters of representation, putting parties on notice and much more. The second subject will be geared toward all-things vendor relationships including communication, contract provisions with an emphasis on insurance, indemnification and tender issues, loss reporting, record-keeping, and training.
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We are pleased to announce that Joseph Petka, Warren Holland and Dana M. Koos have been named partners in our Philadelphia and New York offices.
Joseph W. Petka
Mr. Petka is a veteran trial attorney who has obtained numerous jury trial defense verdicts throughout Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester and Montgomery Counties. He specializes in defending hospitals and nonprofit organizations in general/premises liability actions, UIM/UM carriers in contract actions and individual motorists in negligence actions.
Learn more.
Warren D. Holland
Mr. Holland serves as litigator and legal consultant in the Fraud Investigation and Affirmative Action department. He has extensive trial experience in several state and federal jurisdictions including Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey and over 50 defense verdicts. His practice has a unique focus in appellate law with notable favorable decisions that have helped shape law in the insurance defense arena.
Learn more.
Dana M. Koos
Ms. Koos defends automotive negligence and other personal injury claims out of our New York office. Her practice focuses on investigating insurance and healthcare fraud cases. Her expertise in third-party and first-party/no fault litigation has been a contributing factor in her victories in countless arbitrations and at trial.
Learn more.
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