Joe has been managing family law cases for over 37 years and is a founding partner of McGaughey & Spirito in Redondo Beach California.
He has continuously maintained an AV rating in Martindale-Hubbell and is listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, as well as the National Register’s Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals. He has also been selected by his peers in “The Best Lawyers in America” for the practice area of Family Law. In 2019, Joe received “Lawyer of the Year” honor from the South Bay Bar Association.

In addition to practicing law, Joe is currently an Adjunct Professor teaching Marital Property at Loyola Law School. Joe has served as Chair on the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Family Law Section. Joe has chaired the Family Law Section of the South Bay Bar Association for several years and is Past President of the South Bay Bar Association. Joe is a faculty member of the Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association’s interdisciplinary training programs. He is the Past President of the L.A. Collaborative Family Law Association and a member of CP Cal & IACP. Joe received the 2014 Eureka Award for his excellence in Collaborative Practice. Joe was also Los Angeles County Bar Association Program Chair for the 36th Annual Child Custody Colloquium, as well as a speaker in 2003 at the 35th Annual Family Law Symposium and in 2015 at the 47th Annual Family Law Symposium entitled “The Book of Money”. Joe also was the Chair of the 49th Annual Family Law Symposium entitled “The Art of Presenting Your Case”. At the 50th Annual Family Law Symposium on May 5, 2018, Joe Co-Authored with Alison Spirito “Improving The Mental Health of Children in Divorce”, and also Co-Authored with David Kuroda “Consensual Dispute Resolution – Making Life Better for Judges, Attorneys, and Families”.

Joe is also a founding member and past President of A Better Divorce, a collaborative law divorce group in the South Bay, and has handled over 200 collaborative law cases. In 2001, as Chair of the Family Law Section of the South Bay Bar Association, Joe co-initiated a program with L.A. County Supervising Family Law Judge, Aviva Bobb, utilizing her courtroom to present a program with Pauline Tesler and Nancy Ross.
The program introduced the collaborative divorce model to approximately 100 attorneys, judges and mental health professionals in the county.

Joe has served as Judge Pro-Tem and Mediator in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. He has also made several appearances as a guest commentator on KNBC Channel 4 with Colleen Williams, as well as being a guest commentator on KPCC-FM, Pasadena, California, and CBC National Television “Air Talk – The Legal Addition”, and been a commentator on American Journal National Television, as well as ABC National radio.
He has also been named a Southern California Super Lawyer for 2005 – 2018. Only 5% of the Southern California lawyers are selected for this honor.

In addition, Joe has published numerous articles on collaborative law and authored a chapter in Strategies for Family Law in California, published in 2011, portions of the chapter can be found at:

• Recent Trends in Family Law in California
• Key Decisions in California Family Law Cases
• Responding to Recent Changes in Family Law
• Developing an Effective Family Law Strategy
• Mistakes to Avoid (During Family Law Litigation)
• Minimizing Costs in a Family Law Case

Further, Joe has also authored:

1. “Managing New Challenges In California Family Law Disputes.” Inside the Minds: Strategies for Family Law in California, Aspatore Books, a Thomson Reuters publication Author, 2011 Edition.
2. “Reaching Successful Settlements in Today’s California Family Law Cases.” Inside the Minds: Strategies for Family Law in California, Aspatore Books, a Thomson Reuters publication Author, 2012 Edition.

Joe’s complete CV is available on his website.