Joan E. Clarke is an attorney in TLG’s Philadelphia office. Ms. Clarke focuses her practice on civil litigation, including employment and commercial litigation. She serves a range of corporate and institutional clients: higher education institutions, hospitals, school districts and nonprofit agencies. Ms. Clarke’s practice also covers a full range of plaintiffs’ personal injury cases, including motor vehicle accidents, premises liability and medical malpractice.

Ms. Clarke has extensive experience handling cases for both plaintiffs and defendants involving employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation arising under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and similar state anti-discrimination statutes, as well as Family and Medical Leave Act claims.

Ms. Clarke handles cases at all stages, litigating in both state and federal courts and representing clients before administrative agencies such as the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Ms. Clarke has acted as first-chair in several cases and has successfully litigated cases to jury verdict. It is no wonder that Ms. Clarke has been so successful in the courtroom as her calm style and meticulous preparation shows through at each stage of the litigation process and before juries.

Ms. Clarke is a native of Brooklyn, New York. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester and her law degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law. At Vanderbilt, Ms. Clarke served as an Associate Editor of the Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment Law & Practice and interned with the Honorable William Haynes, USDC, Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee.

Ms. Clarke was selected as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer, Rising Star, in 2010 where she was recognized as a top up-and-coming attorney in Pennsylvania. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. Only the top 2.5% of all attorneys practicing in Pennsylvania share this achievement. To read Ms. Clarke’s profile at Superlawyers.com, click here. Ms. Clarke’s Rising Star achievement was also featured in The Philadelphia Magazine, June 2010 edition.

AREAS OF PRACTICE

• Employment Discrimination
• General Commercial Litigation
• Personal Injury Litigation
• Higher Education Law

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Associate Editor, Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment Law & Practice

ADMITTED TO PRACTICE

• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

EDUCATION

• J.D., Vanderbilt University School of Law, 2003
• B.A., University of Rochester, 1998

PRIOR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Ballard, Spahr, Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as an associate in the Litigation Department.
• During law school, Ms. Clarke served as an intern for the Honorable William Haynes of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee in Nashville, Tennessee.
• Ms. Clarke also served as an Associate Editor for the Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment Law & Practice.

SIGNIFICANT REPRESENTATIONS

Among Ms. Clarke’s successful litigation matters are:

• Walker v. Temple University Hospital – Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, January Term 2008, No. 2494. Represented Temple University Hospital in a jury trial in a premise liability action brought by a business invitee to the hospital. After a one-week trial, the jury returned a defense verdict.
• Bangura v. Temple University, et al. – Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, November Term 2007, No. 2224. Represented Temple University in a jury trial of a negligence and breach of confidentiality claim brought by a former patient. The jury rendered a defense verdict.
• Renner v. Widener University, Inc., et al. – United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Civ. Action No. 09-3632. Represented Widener University in a multi-party litigation involving claims of negligence, strict products liability and breach of warranty brought by an attendee of a cheerleading event that was held at Widener. Negotiated a favorable settlement on behalf of Widener.
• Hewlett v. Lyophilization Technology, Inc. – United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Civ. Action No. 09-571. Represented a former employee on claims of discrimination based on race and disability. Obtained a favorable settlement for client.
• Carter v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State Police – United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Civ. Action No. 08-5421. Represented current and former employees of the Pennsylvania State Police on claims of discrimination based on race. Wrote successful response to defendant’s motion to dismiss and conducted oral argument before the court.
• Shipman, et al. v. Blue Mountain Recycling, et al. – United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Civ. Action No. 08-5378. Represented clients in class action against Blue Mountain Recycling for discriminatory hiring practices. Successfully obtained a favorable settlement for clients.
• DiCaro v. Resources for Human Development, Inc. – United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Civ. Action No. 09-03664. Represented Resources for Human Development, Inc. against former employee’s claims of violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act. Negotiated a favorable settlement on behalf of Resources for Human Development, Inc.
• Covington v. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia – United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Civ. Action No. 10-616. Represented The Children’s Hospital Philadelphia against an employee’s claims of race discrimination and hostile work environment. Negotiated a favorable settlement on behalf of The Children’s Hospital Philadelphia.
• Romano v. School District of Philadelphia – United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Civ. Action No. 07-03969. Represented the School District of Philadelphia against a current employee’s whistleblower and retaliation claims under the Pennsylvania’s Whistle Blower Law. Obtained a favorable settlement for client.
• Emerson v. Pacienza – Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, February Term, No. 01769. Represented the plaintiff, pedestrian, who was crossing the street within the crosswalk and was struck by a motor vehicle. Obtained a favorable settlement for client.
• Waldon v. SEPTA – Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, August Term, 2009, No: 1187. Part of trial team who represented the plaintiff, driver, who collided with a paratransit vehicle and sustained significant injuries. Obtained a favorable jury verdict.

PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS/PRESENTATIONS

Webinar Presentation on “Employer Best Practices for Avoiding and Responding to Workplace Violence” for Philadelphia Society

LEGAL AND CIVIC COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

• Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia
• University of Pennsylvania Law School American Inns of Court, former Member
• Philadelphia Bar Association, former Member of Young Lawyers’ Division
• Executive Committee Member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Division
• National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division
• Settlement Music School, former Board Member
• Member of Philadelphia Society for Human Resource Management, Employer Best Practices for Avoiding and Responding to Workplace Violence