Joe Mueller is a top national trial lawyer who has played a leading role in dozens of high-stakes trials in courts across the country. Just since 2020, Mr. Mueller has first-chaired the trial teams in seven trials that each involved billion-dollar stakes, as well as two other trials that each involved multi-hundred-million-dollar stakes. He was recently named among the top 100 trial lawyers in the country by Benchmark Litigation.

Mr. Mueller has particular knowledge in intellectual property cases—per feedback reported by IAM Patent 1000, “Joe is in the top 1% of patent trial lawyers of his generation,” “a contentious ace,” and “a fabulous trial lawyer.” In 2022, Mr. Mueller achieved the rare feat of leading billion-dollar-stakes cases in four intellectual property disciplines—patents, trademark, licensing, and trade secrets—in courts from coast-to-coast.   

But his trial experience extends beyond intellectual property to many other types of trials, including civil trials involving wide-ranging subjects (e.g., antitrust, contract, and fiduciary duty claims) as well as criminal trials. He has a special skillfulness in crafting trial strategies for high-stakes cases involving interdisciplinary and cross-jurisdictional (and sometimes cross-border) issues.

Among his many recognitions, he has been ranked as a leading lawyer by Chambers USA, honored as an Intellectual Property Trailblazer by The National Law Journal, named the Lawyer of the Year for Intellectual Property Litigation in Massachusetts by Best Lawyers in America, and is a multi-time winner of Litigation Daily’s “Litigator of the Week.” Mr. Mueller was a finalist for the 2023 New England Litigator of the Year, and is a finalist for the Benchmark Litigation US Intellectual Property Litigator of the Year award. In Mr. Mueller’s position as co-chair of WilmerHale’s Trials Practice, he was featured as a litigation leader alongside co-chair Hallie Levin in Litigation Daily.

Mr. Mueller’s advocacy work extends beyond trials. He has considerable appellate experience and has argued before federal and state appeals courts including the United States Courts of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Fourth Circuit and Ninth Circuit. He has also worked on projects involving a wide array of government agencies and has spearheaded the formulation and implementation of policy strategies for interactions with those agencies.

Beyond his domestic practice, Mr. Mueller has in-depth knowledge regarding strategies for international litigations and regulatory proceedings. He has experience with courts and government agencies throughout Europe and Asia. 

Earlier in his career Mr. Mueller served as a Commonwealth of Massachusetts Special District Attorney in the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, where he prosecuted cases involving violent crimes, financial fraud, and many other criminal offenses. While at the Middlesex DA's Office, Mr. Mueller tried thirteen criminal cases to juries and judges.

Mr. Mueller has worked on significant pro bono matters involving disability rights, political asylum, detainee rights, public school disciplinary procedures, and healthcare. Over the years, he has received the Boston Bar Association's President's Award and the firm's John H. Pickering Award for his exemplary pro bono service.

Professional Activities

At the appointment of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Mr. Mueller served as a Special Prosecutor for the Eastern District. He has also served on multiple special committees for the Eastern District.

Mr. Mueller is an adjunct professor of law at Boston College Law School, where since 2011 he has taught a biennial course on patent litigation, and also recently taught a course on “Litigating With An Eye Toward Trial.” From 2004 to 2007, he held principal responsibility for the school's international law advocacy programs—the Jessup International Law Moot Court program and the European Union Law Moot Court program.