Joseph R. Foley

Attorney

Bio

Joseph earned a Bachelor of English degree with double concentrations in technical writing and education. He was an English teacher for several years at East Montgomery High School in Biscoe, North Carolina, where he also coached basketball.

Joseph received a Dean’s Scholarship to attend Seattle University School of Law. During his first year of study, he was selected for the Moot Court Board and later served on the Board’s Executive Committee.

For over 20 years, Joseph has worked to help the wounded, injured, and ill in need of legal advocacy. He has a long background as a Social Security Disability attorney which included positions at the National Hearing Center and Social Security’s Appeals Council. Most recently, Joseph served as a civilian OJAG attorney with the Department of the Navy, where he represented sailors and marines who were told they were no longer fit to continue military service.

Education:

North Carolina State University, BA English
Seattle University School of Law, JD cum laude
Bar and Court Admissions:
North Carolina State Bar
Washington State Bar (inactive)

Bar Admissions and Memberships:

North Carolina Advocates for Justice

Awards and Professional Recognition:

Moot Court Board, Seattle University School of Law
Dean’s Scholar, Seattle University School of Law

The Personal Injury Lawyers

Who'd Rather You Never Need Them

Kimberly and I met in 1992 as kindred spirits, both drawn to the idea of building something larger than ourselves—an extension of our family committed to serving others. We married in 1994, while I was practicing law, and Kimberly worked in healthcare consulting. We thought we understood how the legal system worked. Then September 19, 1995 changed everything.

It’s the worst possible situation to be in after a serious injury. I’m sitting across from a guy who’s supposed to be one of the better traumatic brain injury lawyers, but I’m realizing he doesn’t understand what Kimberly and I are going through!

I got hit by a tractor-trailer just two months before. My wife Kimberly—nineteen weeks pregnant with our first child—has had to watch me deal with personality changes, possible lifelong symptoms, and terrifying fears of our family's future.

What makes it all worse is the fact that I am a lawyer with years of experience, and yet even I can’t get the kind of representation we desperately need. It’s a scary situation.

I grew up in Charlotte. My mother was a teacher, my father a manager working with blue-collar contractors. My parents instilled in me a simple principle: stand up for people who can’t stand up for themselves. Becoming an Eagle Scout reinforced it.

Kimberly grew up in Rockingham, a small North Carolina community. Her parents, a nurse and a salesman, also instilled the importance of community service. Sunday mornings singing in youth prison ministry, working with rehabilitation centers, partnering with local organizations – all part of Kimberly’s youth and what shaped her heart.

My brain injury accident showed us that even being on the inside of the legal profession didn’t protect us from getting poor representation. Our lawyer didn’t really serve us well because he couldn’t put himself in our shoes.

After my personal injury, I knew exactly what kind of lawyer I wanted to be:

someone who truly understands what clients are going through because I've been there myself. Kimberly joined me, bringing her healthcare background and passion for wellness. We built our practice around a simple idea—we don't just handle your case, we understand your whole journey, and we prepare you for it.

Today we’ve been in business for 35 years and we’ve recovered billions of dollars for our clients, but more importantly, we’ve advanced our services to what we call “whole person legal care.” We don’t just fight for financial recovery—we address the physical, emotional, and mental needs that make up a whole person. We prepare people before accidents happen through safety education. We stand beside them during their recovery. And we help them figure out where to go when their time with us is done.

What drives us is knowing that if you know better, you have to do better. Through our Roberts Center, we give away thousands of bicycle helmets, teach CPR, provide scholarships, and run safety programs in schools because we’d rather prevent accidents happening to your family than litigate them.