Joseph R. Wojciechowski
As managing partner of Stoltmann Law Offices, Joseph Wojciechowski has dedicated his entire career to representing investors in securities arbitration and litigation in claims against brokerage firms, banks, insurance companies, investment advisers, and other institutions. As a legal expert who has focused in this very specialized area of law for 11 years, he has a unique and experienced perspective on how to approach any case in arbitration. He has successfully arbitrated over 300 investor cases before FINRA, AAA, and JAMS arbitration panels and participated in class-action litigation on behalf of his clients.
Underlying it all is a value that drives his determination to triumph against industry behemoths that have wronged his clients—the fundamental concept of fairness. “Fairness is important in this area, when dealing with individuals who are elderly and entrust their life savings to a professional backed by a big, fancy company and they do wrong by those folks. Out of fairness, the people I represent are entitled to compensation,” he shares.
Joseph joined Stoltmann Law Offices in 2005, the day it was founded by Andrew Stoltmann, the firm’s principal. The practice itself has its roots in investor representation. As former president of PIABA, Public Investors Advocate Bar Association, Andrew has specialized in this area for over 20 years and opened his practice specifically to serve clients in this unique area of law. Together with a small team of attorneys, they are on a mission to fulfill a simple promise to their clients: “Let us get your money back.”
Their experience in this niche sets them apart from other lawyers who don’t specialize in this area and take on these cases without an understanding of its legal complexities or the realm of arbitration. “It can be really tricky. First, the law has been tilted in favor of the other side, so it’s difficult to win, and to do well, you have to have mastery in this area. And second, because you deal in different arbitration forums, you have to know and understand the rules and procedures involved in all of them. If you don’t, you’ll screw up, and the client pays for that.”
Joseph began as a paralegal with the firm, and his immersion into this unique area of law grew into a passion that drove him to law school and ultimately informed his career path. “I knew that this was what I wanted to do more than anything. I went to law school while working full time as a paralegal, doing nineteen-hour days, five days a week, and using the weekend to study. That type of commitment means you sure better like what you’re going to do.” In 2009, after receiving his law degree from John Marshall Law School in Chicago, he assumed the role as attorney and was eventually named the firm’s managing partner due to his experience in assisting in the representation of investors in a very complex area of law, but also with the intricate knowledge of the laws that govern it. For his dedication to PIABA, Joseph received the Distinguished Service Award in 2019, and has served as managing editor and editor-in-chief of the organization’s bar journal.
Joseph R. Wojciechowski
Managing Partner — Stoltmann Law Offices
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-wojciechowski-3663663/
Twitter: @ChiStockLawPro