Joel W. Morgan

Joel is a member of Butler Snow’s Liability & Risk Litigation group.

• Insurance
• Liability & Risk Litigation
• Premises Liability
• Commercial Litigation
• Mass Torts

• After obtaining his J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law, Joel served as a law clerk for four judges in the Circuit Court for the City of Roanoke, Virginia. Joel then joined a boutique litigation firm located in the City of Richmond, Virginia, focusing on insurance subrogation, personal injury defense and premises liability. In that role, Joel developed and honed his litigation and trial skills by handling numerous cases from inception to trial before both judges and juries in multiple state and federal courts within the Commonwealth of Virginia. That extensive first-chair trial experience continues to inform his ability to evaluate claims, develop case strategies, prepare witnesses, and present complex insurance disputes clearly and effectively. Since 2014, Joel has shifted the focus of his practice to handling federal flood litigation arising from Standard Flood Insurance Policies issued by Write-Your-Own (“WYO”) Program insurance carriers participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (“NFIP”) administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”). Since that time, Joel has represented multiple carriers participating in the NFIP in federal courts across the country, including in Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, California and Missouri. Many of these matters arose in the aftermath of catastrophic, widespread flood events that generated substantial litigation volume, requiring not only substantive NFIP/SFIP experience, but also coordination of defense strategies combined with disciplined case management and process development. Although the majority of these matters resolve before trial, Joel has tried multiple cases in district courts in Louisiana and Florida. Joel has also handled appellate work for clients participating in the NFIP in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits. While maintaining a full-time litigation practice, Joel also completed the requirements for admission into the Florida Bar and the Texas Bar.

• BL Rankings, The Best Lawyers in America®
  • Insurance Law, 2027
• Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers®
  • Virginia Rising Stars, 2009-2010, 2012-2017
• Award for Significant Service, Virginia State Bar Young Lawyers Conference, 2012

• Texas, 2023
• Virginia, 2003
• Florida, 2021
• U.S. Court of Appeals
  • 4th Circuit
  • 5th Circuit
  • 6th Circuit
  • 11th Circuit
• U.S. District Courts
  • Virginia: Eastern, Western
  • Florida: Middle, Northern, Southern
  • Texas: Eastern, Southern, Northern
• U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

• University of Richmond School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2003
  • Articles Editor, University of Richmond Law Review
  • President, Trial Advocacy Board
  • CALI Award, Complex Litigation
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, B.S., 2000

• Richmond Bar Association
• Virginia State Bar Association
• Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys

• Co-Author, "Navigating Rough Waters: A Pre-Litigation Compass," 2024 Litigation Update: Navigating Emerging Trends and Technology, March 2024.

• Wills for Heroes, VSB Co-Chair, 2006-2016