Joseph A. Carroll is a commercial litigator who focuses his practice on complex business disputes. As a partner in Meyer, Unkovic & Scott’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practice Group, he represents businesses, individuals, and institutions in contract disputes, business tort litigation, and insurance coverage matters. His experience includes securing more than nine figures in insurance coverage for a policyholder and representing clients in high-stakes litigation involving eight-figure claims. He also regularly handles construction, real estate, and creditors’ rights matters.
Joe previously served as a federal law clerk for Judge Kim R. Gibson of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He earned his J.D. from the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law, where he graduated second in his class and served as Managing Editor for the Penn State Law Review.
Joe grew up in Somerset, Pennsylvania and now lives in Mt. Lebanon with his wife, daughter, and spoiled cat.
- Secured more than nine figures in insurance coverage for a policyholder in long-running coverage litigation involving multiple national and international insurance companies, legacy policies, and mass tort exposure through multiple favorable summary judgment rulings and dismissal of all insurer claims for damages.
- Obtained a verdict exceeding $30 million as part of the trial and appellate team representing an industrial client in a complex contract dispute following a five-week jury trial.
- Served on trial team for complex subsurface trespass disputes between a mining operator and adjacent oil and gas producers, with damages at issue exceeding $70 million.
- Defended a large institutional client in arbitration involving alleged breaches of commercial supply agreements and eight-figure damage claims.
- Defended a municipality against constitutional and statutory challenges to inclusionary zoning ordinances, securing dismissal with prejudice for lack of ripeness and standing and defeating requests for temporary and preliminary injunctive relief.
- Defended national manufacturer in multi-party litigation involving alleged defects in construction materials used in multiple commercial projects, successfully narrowing claims through dispositive motions and resolving the matter on favorable terms.
- Represented a telecommunications services provider in a contract dispute with a prime contractor, defeating dispositive motions and achieving a favorable settlement.
- Represented a manufacturer and installer in a construction dispute arising from a large institutional project involving contract interpretation and parol evidence issues, achieving a favorable negotiated resolution.
- Obtained dismissal of a False Claims Act action alleging improper billing practices by a health system.
- Represented a commercial property owner in professional negligence and contract claims against an engineering firm arising from structural design issues.
- Represented a national owner and operator of commercial properties in litigation involving lease obligations during the COVID-19 pandemic and related force majeure and equitable defenses.
- Represented employers and employees in the enforcement and defense of restrictive covenants, including non-competition, non-solicitation, and confidentiality agreements.
- Advised and represent landlords, employers, and government entities on compliance issues involving service animals and emotional support animals.
- Represented businesses across multiple industries in commercial collection and judgment-enforcement matters.
- Named ‘Exemplary Pro Bono Attorney’ by Neighborhood Legal Services, 2025
- Named ‘Lawyer on the Fast Track’ by The Legal Intelligencer, 2024
- Selected to the list of Rising Stars by Super Lawyers® 2024, 2025, and 2026 for Business Litigation
- Included in Best Lawyers of America® 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 Ones to Watch list for Commercial Litigation
- Penn State Dickinson School of Law
- Ranked second in his graduating law school class of one hundred and sixty-nine
- Penn State Law Review, Managing Editor
- American Legal Institute’s CLE Scholarship & Leadership Award
- Student graduation speaker (elected by graduating class)
- First Place Winner of the American Bar Association’s 2017 Schwab Essay Contest for his essay Family Law Is Not “Civil”: The Faulty Foundation of the Domestic Relations Exception to Federal Jurisdiction
- Woolsack Honor Society (for students in top fifteen percent of their class)
- CALI Excellence for the Future Award for the highest grades in:
- Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing II
- Federal Court Practice
- Pennsylvania Practice
- Evidence
- Remedies
- Electronic Evidence
- Agency, Partnerships, and Limited Liability Entities
- State and Local Government Law
- Elements of Law
- Property
- Elder Law
- Family Law
- Law Practice Management
- Saint Vincent College
- Maria Leonard Book Award for the Highest GPA of the Graduating Class
- English Department Award
- Saint Vincent Law Scholar
- Wimmer Scholar (Saint Vincent College’s highest undergraduate academic scholarship)
- Pittsburgh Pro Bono Partnership, Administrative Board Member, 2022 – Present
- Landlord Tenant Project and Landlord Tenant Pro Se Assistance Project, Volunteer, 2018 – Present
- Pro bono representation of low-income tenants for appeals of housing determinations
- Pro bono representation of low-income tenants at Housing Court mediations
- Named ‘Exemplary Pro Bono Attorney’ by Neighborhood Legal Services, 2025
- Allegheny County Bar Association, Member
- Civil Litigation Section
- Construction Law Section
- Federal Court Section
- Young Lawyers Division
- Pennsylvania Bar Association, Member
- American Bar Association, Member
- Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- J.D., The Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law, 2017, summa cum laude
- B.A., English, Saint Vincent College, 2014, summa cum laude
- Guest Lecturer, St. Vincent College, Careers in English Course, 2023-Present.
- Guest Lecturer, Penn State Law School, “Federal Courts” taught by Judge Kim R. Gibson of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on the topics of federal clerkships, transitioning from law school and clerkships to private practice, and civil litigation, 2018-2024.
- CLE Co-Presenter, Association of Corporate Counsel-Western Pennsylvania, “The Practical Approach to Privilege and Work Production Protections Under Pennsylvania Law: Common Pitfalls and how to Avoid Them,” August 3, 2022.
- “Assessing Animal-Related Reasonable Accommodation Requests: Step-By-Step Guide.” Residential Resource, Volume 31, Number 6, June 2020, 16-17, 30.
- “Insurance and COVID-19: Do Business Insurance Policies Cover COVID-19 Losses?” MUS Client Alert, March 27, 2020.
- CLE Co-Presenter, Meyer Unkovic & Scott LLP, “Effective Arbitration Agreements: Commercial Litigators’ Perspective,” February 10, 2020.
- “They Aren’t A Different Animal: Online ESA Letters,” Residential Resource (31)1, January 2020: 14-15.
- “Client Alert: Oil and Gas Operators Now Subject to UTPCPL Claims by Attorney General,” MUS Client Alert, May 13, 2019.
- “Real Estate Client Alert: HUD Issues New Guidance on Service and Support Animals in Housing,” MUS Client Alert, February 10, 2020.
- Joseph A. Carroll, Family Law is Not “Civil”: The Faculty Foundation of the Domestic Relations Exception to Federal Jurisdiction, 52 A.B.A. Fam. L. Q. 125 (2019).
