WilmerHale Partner Joe Mueller, co-chair of the firm’s Trial Practice, is the cover feature of the latest issue of Boston College Law School Magazine, which highlights his distinctive courtroom style, remarkable trial record and deep commitment to mentorship and teaching.
The profile opens with one of Mueller’s most memorable trial demonstratives: a two‑story dollhouse diorama carried into federal court to help a jury visualize a hedge fund’s control over two companies. The creative visual—complete with 3D‑printed employees illuminated in the hedge fund’s signature color—helped deliver a swift victory for his client. For Mueller, these inventive techniques serve a single purpose: making complex facts accessible and impactful. As he puts it, “I want jurors and judges to see that I’m trying to convey the truth in a vivid way.”
Mueller’s reputation for clarity, integrity, and persuasive storytelling has earned him national recognition. Since joining WilmerHale in 2004, he has become one of the country’s leading trial lawyers in the highest-stakes trials. Mueller has led trial teams in wide-ranging substantive disciplines in courts across the country—including many cases with billion-dollar stakes. He is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. Chambers ranks him in Band 1, and Benchmark Litigation named him Intellectual Property Litigator of the Year in 2025 as well as among the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in the United States.
Colleagues featured in the article describe Mueller as both a formidable trial lawyer and a natural teacher. As a longtime adjunct professor at BC Law, he is known for his ability to break down highly technical concepts and guide jurors toward “aha” moments. Partners note his relentless optimism, humility and dedication to learning from every lawyer he admires. As WilmerHale Partner Sarah Frazier explains, “He finds the pieces of what he sees out there that work well and meshes them with his own personality to come up with a style that is uniquely his.”
Mueller’s leadership extends beyond the courtroom. As co-chair of WilmerHale’s Trial Practice with partner Hallie Levin (also a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers), he has helped build a firmwide community of courtroom lawyers—spanning multiple departments—who collaborate, train and mentor the next generation of trial lawyers. This includes a “trial academy” that offers hands-on courtroom training to younger lawyers across the firm.
The article also highlights Mueller’s impactful pro bono work, including cases protecting students’ due process rights in Alabama and improving public school facilities’ accessibility for people with disabilities in Virginia.
One of Mueller’s greatest mentors, former WilmerHale managing partner William F. Lee, perhaps captures it best, saying Joe “is extraordinary with juries. He just radiates trustworthiness, and in large part that’s because he really is a person of real integrity.”
BC Law Magazine’s full feature offers an in‑depth look at how Mueller approaches the most high-stakes trials with deep creativity and integrity. Read the full feature here.