About

Joan was a New York state prosecutor for over 30 years, including in leadership positions at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office as Executive Assistant District Attorney, Chief of the Trial Division, Senior Trial Counsel, and Chief of the Hate Crimes Unit. 

Joan oversaw exhaustive investigations and high-stakes prosecutions, including some of the office’s most sensitive sexual assaults and homicide cases. She successfully tried scores of cases, including the high-profile Scores nightclub double murder, the murder of “Realtor to the Stars” Linda Stein, and the kidnapping and murder of six-year-old Etan Patz. Joan also handled the office’s matters involving high-profile defendants including Harvey Weinstein, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and Ja-Rule, and designed response protocols for terrorist attacks, mass casualty crimes, and critical infrastructure attacks. 

In private practice, Joan is an unwavering advocate for survivors of violent crimes and sexual assault. She approaches survivors and their families with attentiveness, thoughtfulness, and empathy, consistent with Perry Law’s trauma-informed approach to all its matters. Joan’s advocacy helps survivors navigate the criminal referral process and secure large recoveries for civil wrongs. 

Joan is also an invaluable resource for witnesses and targets of government investigations and for criminal defendants. 

Joan graduated from New York University and St. John’s University School of Law, where she has also served as an adjunct lecturer for the graduate program on homeland security and criminal justice. Widely recognized by her peers in the legal community, she has been invited to speak before New York State judges and at Columbia Law School and Fordham Law School. She is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the Manhattan Institute, and a recipient of the New York County Lawyers Association Public Service Award.