Joseph Morris - Roberts Perryman

Joseph’s focus includes advising and litigating coverage disputes, appeals, as well as civil defense and litigation involving commercial and professional liability. Joseph is licensed to practice law in Missouri and California and has more than a decade of legal experience.

Before joining Roberts Perryman, he worked for several years with a large St. Louis firm in areas focusing on coverage, bad faith litigation, and civil defense. He also served as an appellate clerk for the Honorable Lisa Van Amburg at the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District. Prior to that, he practiced law in California for several years in areas that included tax dispute resolution, business organization and formations, and federal contracting.

While originally from St. Louis, Joseph obtained an undergraduate degree in History from Boston University. He then moved to Japan, where he lived and worked in Tokyo for three years before returning to the United States to attend law school. In law school he made the Dean’s List, Pro Bono Honors Society, as well as worked as a summer associate for a Tokyo maritime firm, Toda & Co., followed by a fall clinical internship with a large Tokyo law firm, Nishimura & Asahi, in areas involving cross-border transactions and capital markets.

In his free time he enjoys camping, fishing, hiking, as well as playing soccer. He is also a board member of a local non-profit Aikido group and Aikido practitioner.

Notable Recent Victories

Westmoreland v. Midwest St. Louis, LLC, 623 S.W.3d 618 (Mo. Ct. App. 2021), successful appeals defense of jury verdict awarding client-respondent $1.8 million in damages against nearby gas station for violating Missouri's Motor Fuel Marketing Act (MFMA).

Evans v. Wilson, No. SD 33209, 2016 WL 4990251 (Mo. Ct. App. Sept. 19, 2016), affirmed following transfer by Conner v. Ogletree, 542 S.W.3d 315, 318 (Mo. 2018), successful oral argument in defense of trial court's summary judgment in favor of defendant in appeal to the Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District.

Hendrickson, et al. v. Dennis, et al., Cause No. 21SL-CC04967 (Cir. Ct. St. Louis Co., Mo. Apr. 17, 2023), motion for summary judgment granted by trial court in favor of client on basis of collateral and judicial estoppel and for failure to state a legally cognizable claim as a matter of law.

Denney v. Syberg’s Westport, Inc., 665 S.W.3d 348 (Mo. Ct. App. 2023), successful defense on appeal affirming judgment on jury’s verdict, including findings that appellant was 90% at fault for his own damages under Missouri’s rules of comparative fault.