Joel Stephen Fass is known by his peers and clients as a skilled litigator, negotiator and client advocate.
Since partnering with Mike Colodny in 1974, Mr. Fass has practiced in the areas of personal injury, commercial litigation and civil rights. He has turned his experience and courtroom aptitude to the benefit of his clients, which include individuals, corporations and institutions.
Before joining the Firm, Mr. Fass served as the Kings County prosecutor in Brooklyn, New York. Since then, he has argued the cases of corporate clients and successfully pursued the rights of countless personal injury victims, including abused and neglected elderly individuals through negligence and nursing home litigation. In the process, Mr. Fass, a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, holds the coveted and highest “AV” rating by Martindale-Hubbell, has developed an extensive record litigating on his clients’ behalf.
Mr. Fass has served as a special prosecutor for the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. He also has represented the Florida Marine Patrol, Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Department of Insurance and the cities of North Lauderdale and Coral Springs.
In 1996, he was appointed by Broward County Commissioner John Hart as a member of the Broward County Charter Review Commission. In 2000, he was appointed by Broward County Commissioner Norman Abramowitz to serve on the Broward County Management and Efficiency Review Commission. He also chaired the City of Weston’s first Charter Review Commission and subsequently served as a Weston Charter Review Commissioner.
A member of both the Florida and New York Bars, Mr. Fass is licensed to practice law in state and federal, trial and appellate courts, as well as the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Fass’ professional memberships include the Florida Bar Association, American Bar Association, Broward County Bar Association, American Trial Lawyers Association, Association of Florida Trial Lawyers, the Stephen R. Booher American Inn of Court and the 17th Judicial Circuit Professionalism Committee. He has been a perennial fixture on the prestigious list of “Florida Super Lawyers,” most recently in 2012, an accord reserved for less than five percent of lawyers statewide.
Active in community and youth affairs, Mr. Fass has served as past president of the Broward County Area Agency on Aging Board of Directors, and was recently named to the “2011 Broward Senior Hall of Fame.” A resident of Weston, Florida, he organizes and continues to chair the annual Presidents’ Fest in the Park, a community festival that raises hundreds of thousand dollars for local non-profits. He also continues his decade-long post as president of the Windmill Ranch Homeowners Association.
In 2010, Mr. Fass was bestowed the “Ending Abuse Award” by Broward Jewish Family Services for his recognition to urge advocacy of shared gender responsibility in maintaining domestic tranquility among families in the Jewish community.
Mr. Fass earned his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from the State University of New York at New Paltz, at which he also received his Juris Doctor at Buffalo Law School.
