Joseph Van Aalst is an Associate with the firm.  Joe knew from an early age that he wanted to be a lawyer. He didn’t have any lawyers in his family, but he did have a lot of relatives who worked as support staff in law firms. His mom, his dad, an aunt, all worked in law firms, so it didn’t take much to convince him to pursue a legal career.

His determination to become a lawyer never wavered as he matriculated through college and law school at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, receiving his Juris Doctor in 2021.

Joe enjoys working collaboratively with his clients and solving their problems.  He loves having the opportunity to sink his teeth into problems that have tangled themselves into Gordian knots. He loves seeing how everything pieces together and how he might be able to untangle it.

Joe’s favorite thing about working at O’Connor & Battle is how dedicated everyone is to the work they’re doing. It can be hard to put your all into something without getting too uptight and taking yourself too seriously, but he finds the environment at O’Connor & Battle threads that needle very well.

He also found the environment at O’Connor & Battle to be vibrant and welcoming.  The collaborative approach and team atmosphere are refreshing.  He also likes that the environment at the firm allows him to work independently, while also enabling him to draw on the knowledge and experience of his coworkers.  

Joe joined O’Connor & Battle to focus on civil defense servicing sophisticated clients.  His practice focuses on defense of a variety of injury claims ranging from wrongful death to soft tissue injuries, as well as mediations, arbitrations, automobile liability, medical malpractice, employment, and commercial litigation.  He serves as a major point of contact for one of the firm’s largest clients, assisting with defense of claims against their insureds.