Attorney Joseph L. Piccin

Joe Piccin is a practicing attorney in Columbus, Ohio.  Joe has a wide-range of experience in commercial litigation and transactional matters, administrative hearings, and family law issues.  Joe has litigated numerous cases at trial and appellate levels in state and federal courts.  Additionally, Joe assists clients in estate planning and probate matters.  His clients include businesses involved in the hotel/hospitality industries, restaurant and food service industries, health and fitness industries, real estate, construction, and technology industries, dental and optometric professionals, vinifaction industries, and many others. 

Joe was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1974, and grew up in St. Clairsville, Ohio.  He attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, from 1993 until 1997.  He graduated with Bachelor of Science degrees in Finance and Accountancy and a subspecialty in Management Information Systems.  While at Miami University, Joe participated in Miami University’s Business in Europe Program, studying international law and comparative accounting practices in cities and countries throughout Western Europe.  Joe was also the recipient of the Farmers Insurance Scholarship during his senior year, given to students excelling in insurance and risk management classes.

After college, he attended the University of Akron School of Law from 1997 until 2000. While in law school, Joe participated in moot court competitions and earned the highest grade in his appellate advocacy class.  Joe was a member of the Jessup International Law Moot Court team, where his team earned best brief award in the Midwest regional competition in 1999. He graduated with a JD degree in 2000 and was subsequently admitted to practice law in Ohio in November of 2000.

Joe has practiced law since 2000.  From 2000 until 2003, he was an Assistant Attorney General with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.  While there he was a member of the Office’s Antitrust Section, representing the interests of Ohioans against a variety of state and federal unlawful business practices.  He was also a member of the Constitutional Offices Section, where he enforced laws addressing the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products.  He also represented State officials in civil lawsuits and counseled a variety of State agencies.

Joe has successfully litigated cases against many of the country’s largest companies at the trial and appellate levels in Ohio and other states.  He has represented clients in counties throughout Ohio, as well as several Federal District Courts in Ohio, and has appeared in federal district courts in New York and the District of Columbia.

Also while a member of the Attorney General’s Office, Joe provided free legal services as part of the Attorney General’s Pro Bono program, which involved the preparation of wills, living wills, financial powers of attorney, and durable powers of attorney for clients of low income.

In December of 2003, Joe left the Ohio Attorney General’s Office to establish his private law practice.  In addition to his own law practice, Joe was affiliated as of counsel with David L. Herbert & Associates, LLC, located in Canton, Ohio, where he assisted in representation of businesses and professional practice clients, and with Dougherty, Hanneman & Snedaker, LLC, located in Columbus, Ohio, where he co-counseled family law cases, typically those involving complex support issues and high asset valuation issues.   In 2020, Joe merged his practice with Attorneys Doug Dougherty and Jim Hanneman to join Dougherty, Hanneman & Piccin as a partner. 

Joe is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and the Columbus Bar Association. He is admitted to practice in the State of Ohio and federal courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio.

He is a frequent author of articles which appear in The Sports, Parks and Recreation Law Reporter and The Exercise Standards and Malpractice Reporter, publications tailored to those in the sports and health and fitness industries.  Joe has been honored by his peers for selection to the Super Lawyers® publication in their Rising Stars® section for lawyers under 40 years of age, for the years 2012 and 2013. 

Joe resides with this family in Upper Arlington, Ohio.  He is a member of the Columbus Italian Club, Bellaire Sons of Italy Lodge 754, and while away from work he enjoys sporting and outdoor activities. 

Specifically, Joe has handled the following types of matters as part of his practice:

• Complex divorce involving business interests and valuation, child custody disputes, and long-term support issues
• Co-counsel in litigation involving insurance company / insurance agent action dealing with the sale of annuities and other insurance products
• Co-counsel in litigation involving business insurance arrangements
• Co-counsel in litigation in key life insurance funding dispute including employer company and insurance funding provider
• Co-counsel to national health and wellness company in state and federal antitrust matters
• Counsel to hotel owners in various litigation disputes involving zoning and planning Disputes
• Counsel to professional practice sellers and buyers
• Counsel to business/going concern buyers and sellers
• Commercial and residential real estate transactions
• Business lease arrangements representing both landlords and tenants
• Counsel in litigation involving alleged violations of Americans with Disabilities Act
• Counsel in claims and investigations alleging violations of workplace discrimination
• Defense counsel in case alleging violation of federal telecommunications act
• Consumer class action defense

Bar Admissions

• Ohio, 2000
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio, 2001
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio, 2006

Education

• University of Akron School of Law, Akron, Ohio, (J.D. 2000)
• Miami University of Ohio, Oxford, Ohio (B.S.1997)

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Ohio State Bar Association, Member, 2000 – Present
• Columbus Bar Association, Member, 2000 – Present

Past Professional Employment Positions

• Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Assistant Attorney General, 2000 – 2003