Joseph Tacopina knows firsthand how to work against the odds. He will take unpopular cases, especially those against police officers. When Richard Sanfilippo faced corruption charges in the famous 1994 “Morgue Boys” cases and Kenneth Moreno was accused of taking advantage of an intoxicated woman while he was on patrol, it was Tacopina who stepped up to the plate to defend these controversial clients. Despite harsh public opinion in these cases, he never gave up on believing in his client’s innocence and their right to a fair trial, which resulted in successfully obtaining acquittals to all of the most serious charges.
Besides protecting the rights of police officers, Joseph Tacopina has defended celebrities and athletes who have found themselves on the wrong side of the law with successful acquittals or dropped charges for famous people such as former New York State senator Hiram Monserrate, rap stars Foxy Brown and Sticky Fingaz, and actor Lillo Brancato who starred as Robert De Niro’s son in the 1993 film A Bronx Tale.
After graduation he worked for the district attorney before founding his own defense law firm. In an interview in 2012 he said “what gives me the drive and desire to make sure I do anything I can… [is that] I really care…I take the whole thing very personally…in a matter of such importance as their liberty.” Further on he discusses those cases where the client is taken out of the courtroom in handcuffs. “Sometimes your job as a lawyer is to mitigate the damage and to make sure that justice is tempered with mercy. …Your job…is to pursue justice.”
His favorite lawyer and his inspiration when he needs it is Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. He has won awards for his legal prowess, as well as a fashion award from GQ. He is an educator, a guest commentator on news shows, but most of all a warrior for our rights as protected by our constitution.
Other lawyers have rated Joseph Tacopina 5.0 out of 5.0 in a peer rating conducted by Martindale-Hubbell®. As the founder of the Tacopina & Seigel he has worked tirelessly since 1994 to maintain the highest professional standards and provide service his clients can depend on. He has made waves in the New York City law scene as a criminal defense lawyer who can protect the rights of his clients while mounting a case that insures his clients are innocent unless proven guilty.