2017 Trusted Advisers Lawyer: Joseph Reid

SBJ photo by WES HAMILTON

Resume Highlights

• Bachelor’s degrees in history and business, University of Mississippi; Juris Doctor, University of Mississippi School of Law

• Selected among The Best Lawyers in America, 2017.

• Successfully tried numerous cases in state and federal courts in both Mississippi and Missouri.

Joseph Reid doesn’t sugarcoat it.

“I do not tell my clients what they want or hope to hear,” he says. “Instead, I advise them as to the facts at issue, advise them of the law as it applies to the facts and then go over the clients’ legal options with my recommendations.”

Reid says he strives for fully informed decisions, by him and his clients.

It’s worked for him the last 20 years, in which he’s practiced in civil litigation representing an array of manufacturers, large and small commercial businesses, banks, hospitals and various professionals on a wide range of issues.

“Whether my client is a Fortune 500 company, a large privately owned company, a small family-owned business or an individual, my goal is to do the best job possible for the client while keeping the client’s economic interest at heart,” Reid says. “At the end of my representation, I want the client to not only be happy with my legal work but also with the amount of money it took to get the results.”

An example of his work involves a lawsuit in which the plaintiffs and Reid’s clients co-owned a large entertainment business in Branson.

“The plaintiffs claimed that my clients violated the contractual agreements that the parties entered into, and the plaintiffs sought total ownership of the company and millions of dollars in damages,” Reid says, noting his defense efforts reversed the case. “After a long and hard-fought jury trial, the jury returned a unanimous verdict finding in favor of my clients as to the plaintiffs’ claims and in favor of my clients as to their counterclaims against the plaintiffs.”

In the end, his clients obtained the plaintiffs’ ownership interests in the company, continued operating the business and actually obtained a multimillion-dollar judgment from the plaintiffs.

“I have been blessed over the years to have great clients and have been able to positively affect their business many times,” Reid says.

Other successful results under his belt include obtaining a $1 million verdict on behalf of a family-owned business that had been severely damaged by the other party, resolving claims against a manufacturer client, keeping a client’s former employee from wrongfully competing against the client in violation of the employee’s noncompete contract, and working to reach a favorable settlement when it was in his client’s best financial interest.

In the firm, he co-leads Lathrop Gage’s product liability and toxic and mass tort team. The group’s experience spans from relatively straightforward defense of single consumer suits to large numbers of claims in toxic and mass tort actions, and class actions.

In addition, Reid has been called on to speak before statewide audiences for presentations regarding law in medicine and conservation.

Reid is a member of the Missouri Bar Association, the Mississippi Bar Association and the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers. Adding to his resume, he’s currently serving on the board of directors for the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association.

Reid is also a former member of the board of directors for the Ronald McDonald House Charities’ Tooth Truck and the Foundation for Springfield Public Schools.