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Assistant: Jessica Peterson
jkp@sspfirm.com
513-533-2730

ACHIEVEMENTS

Best Lawyers, 2023-2024



Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2020 - 2022

AREAS OF CONCENTRATION

Commercial and Business Litigation
Employment Law for Business Owners
Employment Law for Employees
General Labor and Employment Litigation
Wage and Hour Litigation
Noncompete / Trade Secrets Litigation
Worker's Compensation
Personal Injury / Wrongful Death Actions
Veterans' Benefit Appeals

ADMITTED TO PRACTICE

State of Ohio, 2014
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio, 2015
Commonwealth of Kentucky, 2020

EDUCATION

University of Cincinnati College of Law, Cincinnati, Ohio: Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, 2014
Ohio University, Athens, Ohio: Bachelor of Arts, 2011

ASSOCIATIONS

Cincinnati Bar Association
Ohio State Bar Association
American Bar Associations
Ohio Employment Lawyers Assocation

Josh Smith is a shareholder at Stagnaro, Saba & Patterson, where he concentrates primarily in employment law and litigation.

Josh joined SSP's labor and employment practice group in 2014, after graduating from The University of Cincinnati College of Law Cum Laude and earning the school’s Labor and Employment Law Award for his work and interest in the field. While in undergrad, law school, and in his first two years of practice, Josh also served in the U.S. Army Reserves, including a tour in Afghanistan from 2009-2010 as a military police officer in the 300th Military Police Brigade. And, for two of his years at UC law, Josh also served as a graduate student trustee on the University’s Board of Trustees.

Josh represents a wide variety of clients in all aspects of employment, including defending employers from claims under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), discrimination laws (ADA, Title VII, ADEA and related state laws), and wrongful terminations, and breach of contract. Beyond litigation, Josh also assists clients in mitigating the risk of such claims by advising on policies and/or personnel decisions, reviewing, revising, and providing model handbook policies, assisting clients through workplace disputes, and providing training sessions for clients and their management teams on any number of common problem areas.

Josh enjoys counseling his business clients, including advising them on the application of state and federal law to their business, and providing advice on how to minimize the risk of liability. While Josh is well-equipped to defend his clients from employment-related claims, he takes pride in working early on to resolve such issues before they reach litigation. 

Josh lives with his wife Erin, their daughter Lilian, and their dog Patches. During his free time, Josh enjoys a round of golf, hiking trips to Red River Gorge in Kentucky, and winter vacation trips with his family to Florida.

Knowledge and skills include:

• Assisting business owners and human resource managers in administering all matters, including developing employee handbooks and keeping the client in compliance with applicable law.
• Counseling and representing clients in labor and employment related litigation or arbitrations.
• Assisting businesses with practices and policies concerning paid leave, family and medical leave, disability accommodation and resolving complaints of harassment and discrimination.
• Counseling clients concerning best practices for hiring, firing and drafting related documents, such as severance agreements.
• Protecting employers trade secrets and confidential information through implementation of internal policies and non-complete agreements.