Draft:Joseph A. Fried

Joseph A. Fried is an American attorney, educator, advocate, speaker, and author from Georgia known for his work in truck accident law and legal education.

Education and early legal career
Starting at the age of 19, Fried worked as a police officer in Atlanta, Georgia, while attending college. A judge he appeared before frequently encouraged him to go to law school.

Fried earned his Bachelor of Arts from Oglethorpe University in 1990 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1993.

After completing law school, Fried served as a law clerk for Federal Judge B. Avant Edenfield in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. He then entered private practice in Atlanta in 1994.

Fried was appointed to serve as a part-time magistrate judge in Fulton County, Georgia, from 1994 to 2014. At the time, he was the youngest judge to have ever been appointed in Fulton County.

Legal career
Fried began his legal career handling medical malpractice cases, mostly involving birth trauma. He then focused for nearly a decade on product liability cases involving post-collision fires in the Ford Mustang, which led to changes in the vehicle’s design.

In 2006, Fried shifted his focus to handling truck crash cases. He has been recognized for his knowledge of the trucking industry and for developing best practices in commercial motor vehicle crash litigation. Fried has also been involved in efforts to include safety improvement terms in settlement agreements.

Fried co-founded the firm Fried Goldberg LLC in 2008 with Michael L. Goldberg. The firm handles commercial motor vehicle crash cases nationally. Fried has handled cases in over 43 states.

Contributions to legal education
Over the last two decades, Fried has given more than 1,000 educational presentations to lawyers, state trial lawyer associations, trucking industry organizations, and law enforcement agencies.

Fried is a co-founder of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (ATAA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating plaintiff’s lawyers about truck accident cases. He helped ATAA obtain approval from the American Bar Association for a Board Certification in Truck Accident Law. In 2018, Fried himself was among the first group of lawyers in America to become Board Certified.

Fried is co-author (with law partner Michael L. Goldberg) of “Understanding Motor Carrier Claims,” now in its seventh edition.

He is author of “Law Enforcement Guide to Truck Driving Safety Standards.”

He has created several videos about legal topics, including “Handling Trucking Cases,” “Keeping Trial Short,” “Simple Wins: Stop Trying to Prove the Wrong Things,” and “What’s Your Case Worth? Challenging Limiting Beliefs.”

In 2023, Fried was interviewed by FRONTLINE and ProPublica about their documentary, “America’s Dangerous Trucks.”

Teaching
Since 2005, Fried has been a part-time faculty member at the Trial Lawyers College, teaching trial preparation and presentation techniques.

Since 2020, he has been a part-time faculty member at the Trial School, teaching trucking litigation and trial skills.

Since 2021, he has been a part-time faculty member of Trial Lawyers University, teaching trial structure, storytelling, and trial skills.

Fried Goldberg also holds seminars to teach other lawyers about trial skills and techniques used in truck accident cases.