Joseph DeMaria

Practice Areas

Joe is an aggressive advocate for clients involved in high-stakes business and construction disputes and white collar criminal litigation.

A former federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Miami Organized Crime Strike Force, Joe has four decades of experience leading trial teams. He is well-known for his tenacity and no-holds-barred approach to major litigation before state and federal courts.

Joe has secured trial court victories for clients in banking and financial services, corporate construction, international business, public school systems and government entities. He has defended individuals under investigation and subject to criminal and regulatory charges by the U.S. Department of Justice and state and federal regulators.

Certified by the Florida Bar as a Business Litigation Specialist, Joe has successfully handled many “bet the company” cases. His experience extends to: accounting malpractice; breach of fiduciary duty; bribery and extortion; construction defect and delays; corporate governance; federal RICO claims; fraud and embezzlement;

legal malpractice; money laundering; and tax evasion.

Career

Prior to joining Fox, Joseph was a longtime partner at the Miami law firm of Tew Cardenas LLP. He was also a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, Miami Organized Crime Strike Force. While in law school, he served as the managing editor of the Buffalo Law Review.

Professional Memberships

American Bar Association (Litigation Section: Co-Chair, Professional Liability Litigation Committee, 2025-2026; Member, Regional CLE Programs Committee, 2021-Present; Member, Roundtables Committee, 2020-2021) | The Florida Bar (Chair, Business Litigation Certification Committee, 2009-2011; Member, Federal Practice Committee, 2012-2018; Member, Legal Malpractice Certification Subcommittee, 2013-2017) | New York Bar Association | Federal Bar Association | National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Bar Admissions: Florida; New York.

Court Admissions: U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit; U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit; U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida; U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida; U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York; U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York; U.S. District Court, Western District of New York.

Personal

Joe is a longtime member of the American Bar Association’s Litigation Section and currently serves as Co-Chair of its Professional Liability Litigation Committee.

Since 1994, Joe has taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law, including courses on “Trial Skills" and "Business Litigation Skills." He is a frequent author and speaker on construction litigation, mediation and white collar criminal topics for the National Business Institute. He has also appeared as a legal commentator on white collar criminal issues for CNN, CNBC and national and local radio outlets.

Education