CONCENTRATION
Joe Happe is a shareholder of the Davis Brown Law Firm. He is a member of the Litigation Division and is a co-chair of the Insurance Defense Department. His litigation practice includes, but is not limited to, the areas of insurance defense litigation, general litigation and workers' compensation.
SUMMARY
Since 1985, Joe has tried cases in both state and federal courts. General liability cases have included construction contractor cases, engineers and architects defense, premises liability, dram shop, motor vehicle accident, race discrimination, products liability, insurance bad faith, and personal injury lawsuits of all kinds. He has also represented clients in property damage claims, fire cases, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and first-party bad faith cases.
In addition to trying numerous workers' compensation cases, Joe has handled road assessment litigation, asbestos tort defense and professional negligence defense cases.
PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION
· AV Preeminent™ rated by Martindale-Hubbell. The AV certification mark is a rating from a lawyer's peers ranking him or her at the highest level of professional excellence. A lawyer must be admitted to the bar for 10 years or more to receive an AV-rating.
REPRESENTATIVE ENGAGEMENTS
· Joe has tried to verdict 92 jury trials involving a wide variety of insurance defense matters and has tried numerous bench trials.
· He has arbitrated construction cases before AAA Arbitration panels and privately retained arbitrators.
· He has tried to completion more than 66 workers' compensation cases before the Iowa Division of Workers' Compensation.
· He has handled cases in many of the district courts throughout the state as well as the federal courts and appellate courts of Iowa.
· Trained as a mediator himself, Joe has been involved in numerous mediations of pre-litigation and litigated matters.
· He has also handled 19 appellate cases before the state's appellate courts.
COMMUNITY
Joe has been a member of the State Historical Society of Iowa Board of Trustees, was the Chair of the Iowa Historical Foundation Board of Directors, a member of the Terrace Hill Society Board of Directors and has served on the Urbandale Action Council.
PERSONAL
Joe and his wife Betsy have four children and live in Urbandale, Iowa.
RESOURCES
JOSEPH A. HAPPE JOINS THE DAVIS BROWN LAW FIRM
04/15/2011 - Joseph A. Happe has joined the Davis Brown Law Firm as a shareholder attorney. His litigation ...
MEMBERSHIPS
AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
C. EDWIN MOORE AMERICAN INN OF COURT
DEFENSE RESEARCH INSTITUTE (DRI)
IOWA ASSOCIATION OF WORKERS COMPENSATION ATTORNEYS
IOWA DEFENSE COUNSEL ASSOCIATION
IOWA STATE BAR ASSOCIATION
POLK COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEER LAWYERS