At Lommen Abdo, we strive to cultivate a hard-working, collaborative, and caring team of lawyers. We are pleased to introduce attorney Joseph Wetch, who has recently joined the firm. Joseph’s practice is focused on civil litigation, construction, contract litigation, insurance, personal injury defense, and professional liability defense.
We had the opportunity to interview Joseph and find out more about him, his background, and what motivates him as a lawyer.
Describe major career and life decisions which led you to your current position. How have these experiences shaped the way you engage with clients?
Before I started my career in law I was in the army, and then worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse while I was in college. I was used to excelling academically, and had always wanted to go to medical school. Then I took an Organic Chemistry class, and it was really difficult. I thought I was going to fail, so I looked into my other options, and ended up choosing a Political Science major with a pathway to Law School. I actually ended up passing Organic Chemistry, and funnily enough, if I hadn’t given up on it, I would’ve probably gotten a better grade and continued with medical school! I’ve had a great career in law thanks to that one class changing my path.
My time in the army really shaped the way I engage with clients. I learned how to listen to people, instead of needing to speak all the time. It taught me a lot about how to communicate with people, and that has really shaped the way I engage with clients.
What motivates you as a lawyer?
Getting justice for my clients really motivates me. Most of my clients feel like they’ve been unjustly sued. I always want to do my best for them to either bring their case to an early resolution through mediation or another alternative dispute resolution methodology, or, if that’s not possible, to a successful trial result.
What unique perspectives do you bring to your practice?
With 22 years of experience practicing law, I have seen and learned a lot. From good cases to bad, and everything in between, I’ve seen it all. That kind of unique personal experience in the field really shapes how I engage with my clients, and has taught me how to anticipate every possible outcome and advise my clients based on that knowledge.
What is your client philosophy?
Zealous, ethical, and hard-working representation.
Being ethical is the most important thing to me. I am zealous for my clients, and very hard-working, but I will never do anything unethical; your case will always have ethical representation.
What are you most proud of?
Outside of client representation, as a lawyer I’m most proud of being an elected member of the American Law Institute. This institute is responsible for publishing the restatement of law for various areas of law, so it’s a very well-known and used group of treatises used by lawyers and judges and I’m proud to be a part of that. I’m also proud to be a fellow of the American Bar Association Foundation.
What is a little-known fact about you?
I am a private pilot, and have been since 2018. I fly a Cessna 172, a Cessna 182, and a Cirrus SR-20.
Marc Johannsen, Lommen Abdo President, welcomes Joseph to the firm. “Joseph’s considerable experience in litigation and mediation are an excellent fit with our firm. We are very excited to have Joseph join our team.”
