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Joseph Rugari, Esq.

Associate Attorney

Joseph Rugari (“Joe”) joined Fox & Moghul in 2021 as an Associate Attorney with a focus on business, real estate, and intellectual property law. Recently, Joe also co-published an article with the reputable American Law Institute (“ALI”) on direct and derivative claims in shareholder derivative litigation.

Since joining Fox & Moghul, Joe has worked extensively on complex business and real estate matters, including multi-million dollar business partnership disputes, small business mergers and acquisitions, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, contract negotiations, and settlements.

Furthermore, Joe has successfully argued several cases in the General District and Circuit Courts of Virginia. He has experience in all stages of litigation, from pre-filing considerations to trial, and regularly assists the firm’s partners in researching, drafting and structuring key motions on high-value litigation cases.

Joe graduated magna cum laude from the University of Richmond’s T.C. Williams School of Law, where he was an Articles Editor for the Richmond Journal of Law and Technology. He spent his 3L year of law school working on trademarks, business organizational documents for single-member LLCs, and independent contractor agreements as part of the Intellectual Property and Transactional Law Clinic at the University of Richmond.

Representative Cases:

  • Was part of a legal team defending a shareholder derivative suit with direct claims against the client for seven-figure damages in Loudoun County.
  • Dismissed construction contractors claims against homeowner on summary judgment, and successfully obtained counterclaim judgment for the maximum damages of $25,000, plus attorneys fees.
  • Negotiated a six-figure small business asset sale for a small shipping business.
  • Negotiated a buyout for a former member of an LLC who wanted to leave the company: negotiated favorable noncompete terms for the client as part of the business exit.
  • Negotiated terms for an occupational therapist who was trying to maintain a practice without violating a non-competition and non-solicitation clause for a former employer – ensured that she could continue her business and defined the scope of the restrictive covenants.
  • Negotiated a sale of a portion of real estate between two tenants-in-common for a new townhome complex in Central Virginia.
  • Drafted settlement agreement to help a client remove himself from a costly and difficult home, patio, yard, and pool renovation.

Areas of Practice:

  • Business partnership disputes and shareholder derivative litigation;
  • Business torts (fraud, business conspiracy, defamation, fiduciary duty, tortious interference);
  • Noncompete/restrictive covenants, trade secrets litigation, copyright and trademark infringement, and injunctions/specific performance claims;
  • NVAR Residential Sales Contract disputes, real estate broker/agent liability and regulatory compliance, Virginia Residential Property Disclosure Act (caveat emptor vs seller disclosure issues);
  • Construction Litigation, including General vs subcontractor, Contractor (Classes A, B and C) vs homeowner disputes, and mechanics liens;
  • Easements, nuisance, trespass, boundary line, adverse possession, and title disputes;
  • Business Structuring (LLCs, LPs, C/S corporations, LLPs, business Trusts, etc)
  • Asset/Stock Purchases and Sales
  • Trademark Infringement Actions
  • Trademark Applications and Disputes
  • Structuring nonprofit corporations
  • UCC Contracts and secured transactions, including UCC-1 Financing Statements and Sale-of-Goods agreements

Education:

  • University of Richmond School of Law, Richmond, Virginia, Juris Doctor (magna cum laude)
  • Virginia Tech, B.A.

Bar Admissions:

  • Virginia(2021)

Publications:

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