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Joseph F. Rich

Member

: Philadelphia
1900 Market Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
P: (215) 665-7285
TF: (800) 523-2900
F: (215) 701-2177

Joseph F. Rich

Joseph F. Rich is a member of the firm, where he practices in the firm's Subrogation & Recovery Department. Joe joined the Philadelphia office of Cozen O’Connor in September 2004. Before joining the firm, Joe served as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. John A. Terry of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

Joe's practice involves representing national and international property and casualty insurers as well companies, commercial clients, and insureds with substantial property damage and other first-party subrogation claims. He has also represented insurance clients in appellate matters. His cases typically involve large property losses from casualties such as fires, building collapses, structural deficiencies, products failures, roofing deficiencies, machinery and equipment failures, gas and water leaks, and a variety of other property damage losses. Joe has extensive experience in the state and federal courts throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey and routinely represents clients throughout courts in New England, the Mid Atlantic Region and in federal court in Puerto Rico through admission as pro hac vice counsel.

Joe frequently authors alerts and blogs on cutting edge issues and decisions in the field of subrogation and also presents at seminars on these issues.

Joe also serves as the firm's clinic coordinator for the Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) in Philadelphia, PA. In this capacity, Joe assists with bi-monthly clinics at the Shelton Shelter in North Philadelphia and coordinates assignments for cases in which the firm assists HAP clients.

Joe earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from Le Moyne College in 2000, where he was a member of numerous honor societies and was selected to join Alpha Sigma Nu -- the National Jesuit Honor Society, which is one of the highest honors at Jesuit institutions of higher education.

Joe earned his law degree from Villanova University School of Law in 2003, where he was a member of the Moot Court executive board. As a member of the Moot Court board, Joe participated in and coached at moot court competitions and was one of two brief evaluators for Villanova Law’s Annual Reimel Moot Court Competition. Joe also recevie the award for Best Oral Advocate, Preliminary Rounds at Minnesota Law’s National Civil Rights Moot Court Competition. While in law school, Joe was also a research assistant for professor Michele Pistone, Director of the CARES Clinic and served as a judicial extern to the Hon. Flora Barth Wolf of the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia.

Publications

Service by Social Media: The First Step in a New Way to Serve Foreign Defendants

May 15, 2013

The process of serving foreign defendants can be a long and costly path through the Central Authority or courts of a foreign country under The Hague Convention (on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents), and sometimes the requests for service go unanswered for several months, leaving litigants to wonder whether they will ever be able to pursue their case.

Exculpatory Provisions Can No Longer Preclude Liability for Reckless Acts in Pennsylvania: The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania's Recent Decision Shows that the Tide is Turning [Subrogation and Recovery Alert!]

September 25, 2012

Exculpatory Provisions Can No Longer Preclude Liability for Reckless Acts in Pennsylvania: The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania's Recent Decision Shows that the Tide is Turning - Subrogation and Recovery Alert! - Have you handled a good liability case only to find an exculpatory clause in the contract or lease allowing the targeted party to avoid liability for its negligent acts or omissions? Now, in Pennsylvania, liable parties no longer can
claim blanket protection under an exculpatory provision if they were potentially reckless in bringing about a loss.

The Decision in Phaneuf Funeral home v. Little Giant Pump Co.: Statute of Repose in New Hampshire Now Only Protects Manufacturers & Sellers of Products Who Were Involved In the Transformation of the Products into Improvements [Subrogation and Recovery Alert!]

August 07, 2012

The Decision in Phaneuf Funeral home v. Little Giant Pump Co.: Statute of Repose in New Hampshire Now Only Protects Manufacturers & Sellers of Products Who Were Involved In the Transformation of the Products into Improvements - Subrogation and Recovery Alert! - What factors determine whether manufacturers or sellers of products incorporated into an improvement to a structure are protected by the statute of repose?

Don’t Forget Contract Claims! Another Possible Theory of Recovery in Cases Against the United States [Subrogation and Recovery Alert!]

May 08, 2012

Don’t Forget Contract Claims! Another Possible Theory of Recovery in Cases Against the United States - Subrogation and Recovery Alert! - Do you have a claim against the United States? You already may know about how to proceed under the Federal Tort Claims Act. Have you also considered a breach of contract claim, in addition to any tort claim? If not, you need to assess whether the Contract Disputes Act, 41 U.S.C. section 7101, et seq. applies to your contract claim.

Personal Jurisdiction Over Foreign Defendants Under the Supreme Court's Recent Decision J. McIntyre Mach., Ltd. v. Nicastro [Subrogation and Recovery Alert!]

March 08, 2012

Personal Jurisdiction Over Foreign Defendants Under the Supreme Court's Recent Decision J. McIntyre Mach., Ltd. v. Nicastro - Subrogation and Recovery Alert! - Although recovery professionals often assert that the movement of goods from a foreign manufacturer to domestic consumers - sometimes referred to as "the stream of commerce" - allows one to maintain jurisdiction over a foreign defendant in a state, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in J. McIntyre Mach., Ltd. v. Nicastro, _U.S._, 131 S. Ct. 2780 (2011) (plurality op., Kennedy, Roberts, Scalia,

New Expert Report and Communication Rules in Federal Court Cases [Subrogation and Recovery Alert!]

November 29, 2010

New Expert Report and Communication Rules in Federal Court Cases - Subrogation and Recovery Alert! - Draft expert reports can be a trap for the unwary, often resulting in drafts not being protected from discovery by opposing parties. Under recently amended Federal Rule 26 for Federal cases, draft expert reports now are discoverable when counsel is not involved. The converse is the lesson of the day: draft reports are privileged when prepared at the request of counsel. This Alert discusses these important new amendments to Federal Rule 26, and their impact on expert disclosures.

The UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) [Subrogation and Recovery Alert!]

July 01, 2008

The UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) - Subrogation and Recovery Alert! - 4 pgs total. The U.N. Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG)is an intl. agreement that is applicable to contracts for the intl. sale of goods between parties whose places of business are in different countries. Two CISG issues that are relevant to subrogation actions against parties doing business in a foreign country: a requirement that the buyer provide timely notice of the nonconformity of the goods to the seller, and, the statute of limitations under CISG.

Practice Areas

Industry Sectors

Insurance