Joseph Lockinger

Joseph’s practice focuses on employment counseling and litigation. As a litigator, he has substantial experience representing clients in state and federal courts and at administrative tribunals. When counseling clients, he provides guidance on everyday employment decisions, such as hiring, firing or disciplining employees, as well with more complex concerns, including using artificial intelligence (AI) tools, protecting trade secrets and avoiding unfair competition.

Joseph also regularly advises clients facing allegations and charges of unlawful conduct, and he uses his extensive employment litigation experience to develop effective legal strategies. He closely follows the evolving landscape of AI and workforce-related concerns across the US, and he is a frequent contributor of thought leadership in this space. He has litigated cases in US district courts in New York and New Jersey, as well as in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York State Division of Human Rights, New York City Commission on Human Rights, New York State Department of Labor, the federal Office of Administrative Law Judges, and the National Labor Relations Board.

Before joining Cooley, Joseph worked as an assistant corporation counsel in the labor and employment division of the New York City Law Department, where he represented the city in a broad range of employment litigation matters, from single plaintiff discrimination cases to complex federal class actions.

While attending law school at the University of Virginia School of Law, Joseph was on the management board for the Virginia Journal of International Law and took part in the Employment Law Clinic. Prior to practicing law, Joseph served in the US Marine Corps.