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J. Joseph Wilder - Founding Partner

Born Silver Creek, New York, July 16, 1957; admitted to bar, 1984, New York; 1986, U.S. District Court, Western District of New York; 1990, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan and U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York; 1992, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York; 1994, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York and U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit; 2002, Eastern District of Wisconsin; and 2006, U.S. Supreme Court.

Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Environmental; Products Liability; Utilities Law; Constitutional and First Amendment Law.

Education:

Purdue University (B.S., summa cum laude, 1978)
State University of New York at Buffalo Law School (J.D., with distinction, 1983)

Member:

• The Defense Research Institute
• Bar Association of Erie County (Member, Committees on: Professional Ethics, 1986-1991; Environmental Law, 1986 to date)
• New York State Bar Association (Member, Sections on: Environmental Law, 1986 to date; Insurance, Compensation and Negligence, 1984 to date)
• American Bar Association (Member, Litigation Section; Environmental Law Committee, 1983 to date)
• NDNY Federal Court Bar Association

Professional Biography:

An attorney since 1984, Mr. Wilder practiced law at Phillips, Lytle, Hitchcock, Blaine and Huber, LLP (1983-1990) and at Falk & Siemer, LLP (1990-2000), where he was the Managing Partner from 1995-1997. Mr. Wilder was the Managing Partner of Wilder & Linneball, LLP from 2000-2007. He is a past President of the Lawyers Club of Buffalo and was one of sixteen attorneys selected in 1997 by Business First for its list of "Who Runs Western New York Business." Mr. Wilder was an Adjunct Instructor in Administrative Law at Hilbert College (1993-97 and 2003-2005). He was selected in 2005 by the National Republican Congressional Committee to the Business Advisory Council and received an award as "Businessman of the Year". He was elected by his peers in 2007 for "Who's Who In The Law" for Business Law and for Civil Rights Litigation, as published by The Buffalo Law Journal and Business First.

During his career, Mr. Wilder has appeared as counsel in litigations or counseled clients with cases in Arizona, California, Canada, Colorado, Connecticut, England, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Through his own experience or his professional networking with other attorneys, Mr. Wilder has been able to counsel clients in a variety of substantive legal issues.

Mr. Wilder's primary litigation experience has been in the representation of utilities and product manufacturers, including wrongful death & personal injury claims, property damage matters, environmental issues, constitutional law matters and product liability cases. Since 1984, he has also counseled clients in matters of employment issues (executive compensation, discharges, discrimination claims, workers' compensation and unemployment compensation) and business law matters. He is currently National Products Liability Counsel for AMF Bakery Systems and has served as national and regional counsel for various product manufacturers. Experienced in complex litigation, Mr. Wilder was one of the principal attorneys in over 500 personal injury actions arising from the Love Canal landfill in Niagara Falls, New York. He has been involved in environmental abatement and auditing matters and has served as plaintiffs' and defendants' counsel for various CERCLA "cost recovery" actions. Mr. Wilder's experience in the permitting area includes zoning, air emissions and New York State's first microwave treatment and destruction unit for regulated medical waste. Counsel has routinely been provided to health care clients regarding all aspects of regulated medical waste. During his career, Mr. Wilder has represented such major chemical manufacturers as The Dow Chemical Company, Occidental Chemical Company and the Union Carbide Corporation, in addition to many closely held businesses and insurance companies.

He has been a speaker and/or chairperson for seminars presented by the American Bar Association ("ABA") and the New York State Bar Association ("NYSBA"), including the ABA's Litigation Section (Environmental Law Committee). He has been a common speaker to trade and industry groups, including the New York State Gas & Electric Utilities Claims Managers Association, the Greater Buffalo Environmental Conference and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (for certification courses). He has frequently published legal writings. Mr. Wilder was an author of "Developments in 'Toxic Tort' Law", published quarterly by the NYSBA and has been an author of "Pleadings and Motions Directed at Their Faults," revised and republished every two years by the NYSBA from 1995 through 2003. In 2006, Mr. Wilder received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.