About:

Joseph Ott is the leading trial attorney and founding member of Ott Law Firm, which began in 2017. Ott is also the Chief Solutions Architect of Samu Consulting, a programming venture Ott started to develop machine learning and augmented intelligence solutions for legal applications. Ott’s patent pending machine learning algorithm extracts information from legal cases and makes predictions about how to maximize value.

Ott has recovered millions of dollars for deserving clients using an innovative litigation methodology that emphasizes explicit and beneficial decision making. He has litigated cases in state and federal court nationwide and won verdicts in cases for personal injury and workers compensation in addition to under ERISA, the National Banking Act, and numerous state statutes. Prior to starting his own firm, Ott began his litigation career at Burger Law in (2015-16) and later at Brown & Crouppen (2016-17), where he handled a variety of personal injury disputes. From 2019 to 2023, Ott has been selected to Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars.

Ott graduated from University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law in 2013, where he was a moot court semi-finalist lecturer on First Amendment Law. During law school he served as a summer extern for Mid-Missouri Legal Services in (2012) and as research assistant (2012-13), where he conducted thorough legal analysis on issues pertaining to free speech.

During his spare time, he enjoys producing his own music, learning to speak Russian, and spending time with his wife and their two sons.

Awards:

• Missouri Super Lawyers Rising Stars List, Thompson Reuters (2017-2024).
• CALI Excellence for the Future – First Amendment Law, U. Mo. Sch. L. (2012).

Press:

• Nassim Benchaabane, Lawsuits Allege Ferguson Discriminated Against Black Women Workers, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Apr. 30, 2024).
• Rihem Akkouche, Catholic Hospital Vaccine Bias Suit Sees Judge’s Stunning Decision, USA Herald (Feb. 13, 2024).
• Emmy Freedman, Catholic Hospital’s Religious Status Dooms Vaccine Bias Suit, Law360 (Feb. 13, 2024, 1:44 PM EST).
• Former Head of Missouri Humanities Council Alleges Wrongful Termination Based Upon Age, Gender, and Political Association, St. Louis Post- Dispatch (Jan. 6, 2022).
• Medical Malpractice Suit Filed Against Aviary Recovery Center, Summit BHC Saint Louis, St. Louis Rec. (Sept. 4, 2018).

Publications:

• Laid to Rust: Proposing Strict Liability in Tort for Prop Firearm Injuries Following the Alec Baldwin Shooting, 7 Nev. L.J. Forum 76 (2023).

Presentations:

• Co-Founder, Missouri Free Speech Launch Meeting at Schlafly Library (June 1, 2023).
• Media Law Spring Committee Meeting – The Impact of CDA Section 230 on E-Commerce CLE, Mo. Bar (May 15, 2023) (on file with author).

Committee & Executive Positions

• Solo and Small Firm Section Chair, Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (2024-2025)
• Solo and Small Firm Section Chair-Elect, Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (2023-2024)
• Co-Founding Member, MO Free Speech (Feb. 2023-Present)

Affiliations:

• American Association for Justice (2017-Current)
• Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (2017-Current)
• Member, National Lawyers Guild (2015-Current)
• Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys (2015-Current)