"I am a seasoned litigator and adviser (and guitarist) who knows that while legal processes are valuable instruments, a practical, client-driven solution is often the most harmonious."

Joseph Fortner views the ability to listen to and understand a client’s concerns, risks, and needs, and then leverage his decades of experience to efficiently achieve the client’s goals, as the most satisfying part of his practice. He likens this to the performance of an ensemble, which sounds best when each musician listens to and works with the other members of the group.

Joe represents clients in intellectual property, business and commercial disputes. He is co-chair of the Firm’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group, and his practice includes trade secret, confidentiality, and misappropriation claims, contract disputes, business fraud and other commercial torts, technology-related claims, trade regulation and competitor claims, unfair trade practices, class actions, and product-related commercial disputes.

Joe also chairs the Firm’s intellectual property practice. There, he represents clients in trademark and trade dress, copyright, and patent disputes, including in the information technology, financial services, firearms, music, and other industries, and litigates before the Trademark Trial & Appeals Board.  He also secures Federal trademark and copyright registrations.

While Joe regularly appears in State and Federal Courts in multiple jurisdictions, as well as arbitration matters, he also uses his litigation experience to advise clients regarding their intellectual property and commercial rights. He counsels, negotiates agreements and relationships, and oversees the securing of Federal registrations, and advises clients regarding other commercial concerns. In addition, Joe regularly litigates products liability cases, and has defended a wide range of products manufacturers and sellers in claims arising from personal injuries.

Joe is a Member of the ALFA International Board of Directors (2022 to present). He is also past Chair of ALFAI’s Business Litigation Practice Group and a member of its Steering Committee. He is a regular speaker at its International Client and Business Litigation and other Seminars, including recently on such topics as intellectual property (including trademarks and trade dress), force majeure, trade secrets, presentation and trial skills (including virtual), Supreme Court updates, and wellness. He has also spoken on cybersecurity, trademark dilution, antitrust issues, and e-commerce, and has authored the Connecticut portions of several compendiums regarding trade secrets, intellectual property, and product liability. In 2022, Joe was quoted by the Hartford Business Journal for the piece, “As cyberattacks increase, more companies consider cyber liability insurance; but coverage costs are rising.” In his interview, he discussed cybersecurity concerns arising with the trend toward more remote work and unprotected devices, and the importance of ongoing training, especially as attacks become ever more sophisticated.

Joe has been a member of the IADC (a 2,500-member invitation-only association of corporate and defense counsel), and from 2007 until 2009, was Chair of the 1,200-member Commercial Litigation Committee of DRI – the Voice of the Defense Bar. Before joining Halloran Sage, Joe practiced in New York within the litigation department of a New York-based, multi-national firm.

Joe is included in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for Litigation – Intellectual Property and in the 2024 and 2025 editions for Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Intellectual Property, and Trade Secrets Law. He has been recognized as a Notable Practitioner in the area of Commercial Litigation by Chambers and Partners, an independent, international lawyer ranking organization.

When not practicing law, Joe and his wife Holly (also an attorney) practice and perform music together as a vocal and guitar duo; in addition to their annual Moosestock, they regularly offer music for charities and to entertain seniors. Joe also enjoys traveling the roads of New England on two wheels, and other outdoor sports.