Joseph G. Grasso

J.D. The University of Virginia
B.A. Yale University
Year Elected to the Board: 1996
City of Residence: New York, NY聽

Joe Grasso is a partner in Wiggin and Dana's Litigation Department and聽Co-Chair of its Insurance Practice Group. Joe is also a member of the聽Firm's Art and Museum Law Practice Group. He is located in the firm's聽Philadelphia and New York offices.聽His work includes analysis of coverage, defense and monitoring of claims聽involving various types of insurance and reinsurance coverages, including聽aviation, marine (including hull, liability, cargo, yacht), fine art and specie,聽energy, general liability, professional liability and political risks.聽

Prior to聽joining Wiggin and Dana in 2008, Joe was a partner at Thacher Proffitt &聽Wood in New York. From October 2005 to April 2006, Joe worked in the聽General Counsel's office of one of the premier syndicates at Lloyd's of聽London.聽In addition to representing underwriters, Joe also represents multinational聽manufacturers, financial advisers, art dealers, ship owners and other聽parties in a wide variety of commercial disputes. He has tried cases in聽several jurisdictions including New York, Puerto Rico, Iowa and New聽Jersey. He has conducted numerous arbitration proceedings and聽mediations. He has also acted as an arbitrator and a mediator.聽Joe is admitted to practice in New York and Pennsylvania and a number of聽Federal Courts including the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Courts of聽Appeals for the Second and Fifth Circuits.聽

He is a member of the American聽Bar Association, the New York State Association, and the Associations of聽Average Adjusters of the United States and Canada and of the United聽Kingdom. He is a Proctor member of the U.S. Maritime Law Association聽and was elected as a Director in 2015 (he is also the immediate past Chair聽of the Committee on Marine Insurance and General Average). Joe serves聽as the Chair of the International Working Group on Marine Insurance of the聽Comite Maritime International and he is a member of the International聽Union of Marine Insurance Salvage Forum.聽Joe has addressed numerous insurance industry gatherings on a variety of聽topics, including coverage issues and policy interpretation, investigation聽and resolution of claims and state and federal legislation and regulation.聽These presentations have been made through the International Union of Marine Insurance, the American Institute of Marine Underwriters, the聽Inland Marine Underwriters Association, the Association of Average聽Adjusters of the U.S., the American Marine Insurance Forum, the聽International Marine Claims Conference (Dublin), the International聽Underwriting Association, A.M. Best, Xchanging Claims Service, the聽American Conference Institute, and the Admiralty Law Institute of Tulane聽University.聽

He is a co-editor of the ABA's The Handbook on Additional聽Insureds and has authored articles in The Tulane Law Review, the聽University of San Francisco Maritime Law Journal, West's Insurance聽Litigation Reporter, Aspatore's Inside the Minds- Insurance Dispute聽Resolution Proceedings and in Aspatore's Thought Leaderships Insurance聽Law, and he has been recognized in Best's Directory of聽Recommended Insurance Attorneys, Who's Who Legal, and The Legal聽500.聽Joe sits as outside general counsel to the American Institute of Marine聽Underwriters and the Inland Marine Underwriters Association and has聽been involved in legislative and regulatory monitoring, governance issues,聽drafting policy forms and filing amicus briefs on behalf of those聽organizations.聽

Joe received his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law and his聽BA, cum laude, from Yale University. In addition to being active in alumni聽affairs at Yale, Joe has served on the Board of Trustees of Tuskegee聽University since 1995. Joe is also a member of the firm's Diversity聽Committee.