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Joel Clymer
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Joel represents clients in defense-side employment litigation and workplace counseling, helping employers navigate complex legal challenges while fostering compliance and mitigating risk. His litigation experience encompasses the investigation, evaluation and litigation of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and other employment law statutes. He provides retaliation and whistleblower defense under the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA) and related laws. 

Joel defends employers against wrongful termination and breach of contract claims, and provides support in matters involving restrictive covenants and non-compete agreements. His clients include public universities and large educational institutions, government agencies, healthcare facilities and providers, and corporate entities ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. His practice spans pre-litigation status through trial in state and federal courts, including the defense of clients in appellate court proceedings.

In the area of employment counseling, Joel proactively counsels clients on employment-related best practices, assisting in the development and implementation of protective workplace protocols and providing preventative training for management and employees to mitigate risks before they escalate into legal disputes and costly litigation. He provides guidance on a variety of employment issues in the workplace, including accommodation requests, employee benefits, leaves of absence, workplace investigations, workplace procedures, employee handbooks, severance agreements, policy development, and compliance. He advises clients on legal issues arising under the Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA) and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Joel’s experience with employment-related workplace investigations is broad-based. He conducts prelitigation investigations to determine the likelihood of successful litigation, providing guidance to clients to avoid litigation when possible. In matters where employment litigation is already underway, he conducts workplace investigations to assess the validity of employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and whistleblower complaints during all stages of the litigation process, from initial filing through trial.   

Joel also represents clients in commercial matters and has represented businesses in the litigation of shareholder/member disputes, breach of contract actions, and other business tort matters in state and federal courts.

Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.

Bar Admissions

  • New Jersey, 2013
  • Pennsylvania, 2013

Education

  • Temple University Beasley School of Law, J.D., 2013
  • Temple University, B.A., summa cum laude, 2009

Recognition

  • Listed in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (a trademark of Woodward/White, Inc.) in the Labor and Employment Law - Management (2024 - present) and Litigation - Labor & Employment (2026) practice areas
  • Listed in Super Lawyers – New Jersey Rising Stars (a Thomson Reuters business) in the Employment Litigation: Defense practice area (2022 - 2023)
  • Recipient of the Raymond A. Brown Award from the Garden State Bar Association (2024)
  • Recipient of a Professional Lawyer of the Year Award from the Garden State Bar Association and the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law (2024)
  • Selected by the National Bar Association as a 2023 “40 Under 40 Nation's Best Advocates” Award recipient  
  • Selected for inclusion by the New Jersey Law Journal on its 2022 "New Leaders of the Bar" list of attorneys under the age of 40 
  • Selected for inclusion by NJBIZ (a publication of Bridge Tower Media) as a 2022 “Forty Under 40” honoree

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Please visit our Award Methodology page for a description of the standard or methodology on which these accolades are based. Attorney Advertising: No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Clerkships

  • Former law clerk to The Honorable M. Christine Allen-Jackson, Superior Court of New Jersey, Criminal Division

Representative Matters

  • Successfully defended a public university in a whistleblower retaliation action under CEPA, securing dismissal of all claims with prejudice at summary judgment. The plaintiff’s appeal in this matter was denied.
  • Successfully defended a large public entity and individual employees in multiple employment actions alleging discrimination, harassment, and retaliation under NJLAD and CEPA, obtaining dismissal with prejudice at summary judgment following extensive discovery and motion practice.  The plaintiff’s appeal in this matter was denied.
  • Defended a North American energy infrastructure company in state court litigation alleging CEPA retaliation arising from a contractor’s work on a New Jersey pipeline project. Following discovery, the plaintiff abandoned all claims, and the matter concluded without further proceedings.
  • The firm successfully defended a state corrections agency and its former commissioner against age and disability discrimination claims under the NJLAD, securing summary judgment on all counts and affirmance on appeal, eliminating exposure exceeding $2 million.

Memberships

  • Garden State Bar Association: President (2025-2026), President-Elect, Treasurer, Secretary; Technology Support Committee, Chair; Labor & Employment Law Committee; Gala Fundraising Committee; Board of Directors (former Member)
  • African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey
  • National Bar Association
  • Barristers' Association of Philadelphia, Inc. (past Vice President of Finance)

Committees

  • New Jersey Supreme Court Practice Committee
  • New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on AI

Personal

  • Temple Law Alumni Association
  • Juveniles Active in Science & Technology (JASTECH) Recording Secretary
  • AmeriCorps state and national volunteer
  • While attending law school, Joel served as President of the Black Law Students Association and received an Archer & Greiner Diversity scholarship, a Barristers' Association of Philadelphia, Inc. scholarship, a Philadelphia Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Diversity scholarship, a Sandy M. Brown Memorial scholarship, a Conwell scholarship, and the Jacqueline E. Davis Award.

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Of Interest