Goldberg Segalla

Joseph Oliva concentrates his practice in civil and commercial litigation, insurance coverage analysis and insurance coverage litigation. He has significant experience in all areas of financial institution coverage investigations and litigation involving fraud, employee dishonesty, safe deposit box loss, embezzlement, Ponzi schemes, check kiting, ERISA fraud and mortgage fraud matters. His practice also focuses on bad faith litigation, property damage litigation and error and omissions coverage investigation.

He has conducted and supervised the investigation and coverage analysis of catastrophic safe deposit box losses for underwriters of major financial institutions resulting from a rash of burglaries in the New York City area and across the country, the destruction of the World Trade Center following the terrorist attack of September 11th and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Joe developed a strategy and procedure for analysis and reimbursement of thousands of safe deposit boxholder claims affected by these tragedies and occurrences. He has supervised a team of experts and handled all aspects of litigation resulting from these claims.

Joe conducted an insurance coverage investigation of a $23 million fraud by a bankrupt automobile leasing corporation perpetrated against a major financial institution. He handled all phases of the litigation on behalf of underwriters and the financial institution.

He has also headed the insurance coverage investigation of a number of employee dishonesty, embezzlement and fraud claims including Ponzi schemes. These matters have included a $61 million loss arising from an employee embezzlement scheme in Argentina; a $15 million loss resulting from employee theft; and significant mortgage fraud claims in California and Kentucky. 

Joe is a former senior litigation associate for an international law firm in their New York City office. At that firm, his practice concentrated on all aspects of commercial litigation and insurance coverage litigation from initial complaint to trial, verdict, appeal and recovery. 

His earlier experience includes working as a litigation and appellate associate at a mid-size regional New York firm. He assisted clients with all phases of litigation from inception through trial in numerous property damage and personal injuries matters.  As the attorney in charge of the firm's appellate practice in the New York City office, he conducted jury trials and wrote over 75 appellate briefs.

Upon graduation from law school, Joe was granted a two-year judicial clerkship as a senior appellate court attorney from the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department. He clerked for the entire bench and wrote over 150 bench memos on a variety of issues in the areas of criminal, civil and commercial law.

Over the course of his career, Joe has obtained appellate argument experience in the First, Second and Third Judicial Departments of the New York Supreme Court and has over 70 reported decisions.

He is active in many local and national bar associations including the New York County Lawyers' Association, The American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association and the Columbian Lawyers Bar Association. He is also a member of the Supervisory Committee of the Montauk Credit Union in New York City.

Joe is a frequent lecturer on appellate practice as a faculty member of the St. John's University School of Law's Continuing Legal Education Program and the New York Safe Deposit Association. He has also lectured at the American Bankers Association Risk Management Conference and for the Fidelity Law Association.

Professional Affiliations

• New York County Lawyers Association
• New York State Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• Columbian Lawyers Association
• Fidelity Law Association

Admitted to Practice

• New York
• New Jersey
• U.S. District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York

Prior Experience

• Senior Appellate Court Attorney - New York Supreme Court, Second Judicial Department

Education

• St. John's University, B.A., summa cum laude, 1990
• St. John's University School of Law, J.D., 1993 (Moot Court Honor Society's Executive Board; recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award in Criminal Law)