Joe Battista Q.C.

Joe obtained his law degree from the University of British Columbia in 1976 and was called to the Bar in 1977. He continued his legal career as in-house counsel with the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee of British Columbia, which is the part of the Ministry of the Attorney General that looks after the interests of minor children and people with developmental or cognitive challenges. His work in this area has made him very aware of how people caught by events beyond their control can easily be overwhelmed by the complexity of the legal system and related bureaucracies.

As one of two founding partners, Joe Battista together with Joe Murphy created a unique law firm that places a strong emphasis on an individual's health and rehabilitation and on support for the client and their families in their recovery. He recognizes how crucial it is to develop a proper rehabilitation plan as early as possible in order to maximize recovery. As Joe explains, "Good legal representation is very important, but a lot of other support is needed along the way".

Recognizing the importance of case preparation, Joe carefully accumulates the necessary evidence for trial. He has handled many cases involving serious injuries, including brain injury, spinal injury, and chronic pain. Joe's many years of experience serve his clients well in recovering the compensation they are entitled to when they suffer serious injuries and may face life-long physical, psychological and economic consequences.

Joe is a frequent presenter on brain injury, mental health, mental competency, and other injury related topics. He presented at the World Congress on Brain Injury in Italy in 2001. He speaks to brain injury support groups throughout the Province and is an advocate for and supporter of survivors of brain injury. He has presented at the annual Medical/Legal Conference, Trial Lawyers of British Columbia seminars, Continuing Legal Education seminars, the Annual General Meeting of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia, Pacific Coast Brain Injury Conference, and numerous other professional conferences and seminars.

He is a member of the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia, the Canadian Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the American Association for Justice, which provides him with up-to-date legal information on changing legal issues.

Joe was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2009.

When practicing in the area of estate litigation, and mental health and competency law, he draws on his many years of experience dating back to the beginning of his career at the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee. He is often retained by that Office to represent their clients.

Joe and his wife, Judy have two sons. He is an avid soccer fan and a lover of all things "Italian", including frequent visits to the family home in a small town in southern Italy. He is fluent in his native Italian and speaks French as well. He enjoys spending his free time with family and friends, golfing, and riding his motorcycle.