Joseph N. Kravec, Jr.
Joe Kravec is a Partner with more than 28 years’ experience as a class action litigator representing insureds, borrowers, consumers, investors, employees and retirees as lead or co-lead counsel in numerous nationwide, multi-state and statewide class actions in federal and state courts throughout the United States. Joe has recovered nearly $3 billion in benefits for millions of class members nationwide from some of the largest insurance companies, banks, employers and other multi-national corporations.
Joe has a Martindale-Hubbell peer review rating of “AV Preeminent,” which is awarded only to experienced attorneys who achieve the highest ratings for legal ability and ethical standards. Joe was also selected to be one of The National Trial Lawyers—Top 100 for being part of a premier group of Civil Plaintiff attorneys in Pennsylvania. The National Trial Lawyers is an invitation-only organization, which extends membership to elite attorneys recognized for superior qualifications, trial results and leadership in their respective state.
Joe’s experience and abilities as a class action lawyer also have been recognized by numerous courts: “Joseph N. Kravec, Jr. [has] significant experience litigating class actions… [has] been found adequate by other courts… [and has] provided diligent and competent representation.” Zeno v. Ford Motor Company, Inc., 238 F.R.D. 173, 188 (W.D. Pa. 2006) (citing Varacallo v. Massachusetts Mutual Life Ins. Co., 226 F.R.D. 207, 233 (D.N.J. 2005); In re Metropolitan Life Ins. Co. Sales Practices Litigation, 1999 WL 33957871, at *21 (W.D. Pa., Dec. 28, 1999)). Judge Ronald M. Whyte, who presided over a hotly contested class action lasting seven (7) years where Joe was primary counsel arguing to the Court, said: “This case was well litigated through multiple motions to dismiss, class certifications, summary judgment, and other motions.” Spears v. First American eAppraiseIT, 2015 WL 1906126 (N.D. Cal., April 27, 2015).
More recently, in a class action settlement on behalf of royalty owners, Joe helped recover more than $36 million in benefits. Judge Keith P. Ellison, who presided over the case, found that: “Class Counsel brought their significant experience to bear in undertaking a complex oil and gas case on a fully contingent basis, expended substantial resources with no guarantee of success, devoted 5,097.8 hours of professional time to the matter for nearly six years, and achieved a result which provides participating class members with a cash fund from which 100% of their alleged royalty underpayments will be recovered, and the freedom from future claims for recoupment or defensive offsets by Talisman.” Regmund v. Talisman Energy USA, Inc., Civil Action No. 4:16-cv-02960, ECF No. 240 (S.D. Tex. 2021). Judge Ellison also praised Joe for bringing “decades of trial and class action litigation experience and […] zealously and competently represent[ing] Plaintiffs and the proposed Settlement Class in this complex case through numerous motions and hearings before this Court over the past four years.” Regmund, ECF No. 221 (S.D. Tex. 2021).
Joe graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, 1989 cum laude, and from the Duquesne University School of Law, 1993. He is admitted to practice law before the Courts of Pennsylvania, New York, the United States District Courts for the District of Columbia and Western District of Pennsylvania, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and the Third, Fourth, Sixth and Ninth Circuits, and the United States Supreme Court. Joe is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America). He was a recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award.
Joe is the past Chair of the Insurance Law Section for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Joe has also served as both a speaker and moderator in numerous educational programs for national and regional audiences conducted by the American Law Institute-American Bar Association, Association of Trial Lawyers of America and American Association for Justice. Joe has authored numerous papers and articles published in a variety of legal publications. Included among those published articles are “AT&T Mobility, LLC v. Concepcion’s Impact on Compulsory Arbitration in Insurance Cases,” published in Insurance Law Section; American Association for Justice, Spring 2012, “Rise of Lender’s Force Placed Insurance,” American Association for Justice, July 2009; and “Reliance And Consumer Insurance Fraud,” published in Insurance Law Section, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Fall 2001.