Joseph Rodgers’ practice is focused on corporate and commercial litigation and related advocacy matters. Joe has represented clients in federal and state courts in jurisdictions throughout the United States.

Joe has significant experience in complex securities and fiduciary duty litigation, with an emphasis on defending shareholder class actions. He also has experience in the areas of antitrust, toxic torts, unfair competition and trade secrets, corporate fraud, general contract disputes, commercial landlord tenant disputes and the enforcement of intellectual property rights.

Joe was selected for inclusion in the 2010 edition of Ohio Super Lawyers – Rising Stars, a distinction that recognizes lawyers under the age of 40 or those in practice for 10 years or less.

Prior to joining Squire Sanders, he completed externships with The Honorable Karen Nelson Moore of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and The Honorable Ann Aldrich of the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio. Joe was awarded the William A. Galpin Award for General Excellence in College Work from The College of Wooster.

Representative Experience

• Representing a Fortune 500 company and its high-ranking officers in a securities fraud action filed in federal court in the Southern District of Ohio.
• Representing a Fortune 500 company in a combined derivative action and class action arising from a proposed corporate merger.
• Representing officers of a diversified power management company in a shareholder derivative action filed in Ohio state court asserting claims for breach of fiduciary duty.
• Defending a company and its board of directors in a Delaware class action arising out of a reverse stock split.
• Representing a light manufacturer and its majority shareholder in state-court derivative litigation involving alleged antitrust violations.
• Representing officers and directors in shareholder derivative litigation involving allegations of stock option backdating.
• Serving as part of the Squire Sanders team that represented a major international tire manufacturer against claims of securities fraud.
• Serving as part of the Squire Sanders team that defended a leading global producer of technology-based performance materials and its officers in securities, derivative and ERISA litigation.
• Representing former high-ranking officers in a putative class action alleging securities fraud arising from the subprime mortgage industry collapse.
• Defending former high-ranking officers and a company’s founder in New York federal court against claims of securities fraud.
• Representing Japan- and US-based freight forwarders in a putative antitrust class action in New York federal court alleging price fixing and other antitrust violations.
• Representing the world’s largest integrated oil concern in state-court toxic tort litigation.
• Representing an engineering and construction services provider in Taiwan in international arbitration.
• Defending numerous financial institutions in putative class actions in Ohio federal court arising out of an alleged Ponzi scheme.
• Prevailing at trial and on appeal in a significant commercial landlord/tenant dispute.