Joseph A. Sacher

Joseph A. Sacher

Partner

jsacher@grsm.com
Tel: 305-428-5300
Fax: 877-634-7245
Gordon & Rees Bio
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Joseph A. Sacher is a partner in Gordon & Rees’ Miami office and a member of the Securities Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Appellate, Government Regulatory & Administrative Law, and Banking & Finance Practice Groups. Mr. Sacher has extensive litigation, trial, and appellate experience in securities and complex commercial litigation in State and Federal courts.

Mr. Sacher represents individuals, businesses, accountants and accounting firms, and financial institutions in general and complex, multi-million dollar civil litigation as both plaintiffs and defendants. He has successfully defended accounting firms in shareholder and professional liability disputes; has been recognized for obtaining the third largest Florida Jury Verdict in 2013 for a nutraceutical manufacturer in the category of Contract Disputes; and has obtained an attorneys’ fees award in excess of $1 Million.  (See Practice Areas for additional information)

He has been repeatedly recognized by his peers in the area of Securities Litigation and has extensive securities litigation experience, particularly in connection with investigations and enforcement actions brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). He has advised and successfully defended numerous individuals, entities, local, regional and public companies, as subpoena recipients, subjects/targets in the early stages of SEC and FINRA enforcement investigations, and defendants in full-blown enforcement actions brought by the SEC, through trial and appeal.  (See Practice Areas for additional information)

During law school, Mr. Sacher interned at the SEC’s Atlanta Regional Office. Since graduation, he has lectured to CPAs, attorneys, international bankers, and college students on issues relating to the liability of accountants and the securities industry, and has written articles on the Federal Securities Laws, including a Lead Feature Article in The Federal Lawyer.

Separate from his experience in general and specialized litigation matters, Mr. Sacher also acts as outside counsel to various types of business entities and individuals, providing general advice, assisting with corporate documentation, advising on regulatory compliance, and acting as a liaison to State and Federal regulatory authorities, with a particular emphasis on crisis management and avoidance.  

Honors and Awards

• AV Preeminent, Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®
• Super Lawyers® Rising Star, Florida (2009)
• Super Lawyers®, Florida:  Securities - Litigation (2016-2018)
• Best Lawyers in America® Litigation - Securities (2015-2019)
• Finalist for the Dade County Bar Association's Legal Luminaries Award in the category of Securities
• Recognized by ALM, Verdict Search, and the Daily Business Review for obtaining the third-largest Florida Jury Verdict of 2013, in the category of Contract Disputes (Read more)

Published Works (click titles to read articles)

• "The Public Company Accounting Reform and Protection Act: The Changing Landscape of Public Corporations and the Accounting and Law Firms Who Provide Them Services," The Florida Bar News, Sept. 1, 2002
• "Don't Let It Tell You Otherwise:  You Can Depose the SEC ... Sometimes (A Lesson for Private and Public Securities Litigators, as Well as the Judiciary)," The Federal Lawyer, December 2013 (Lead Feature)
• "The Value of a Truly Great Indemnity Agreement:  When Things Go Bad, Having the Right Business Contract Can Win Your Case, and Reimburse Your Litigation Costs, Including Attorneys' Fees," The Florida Law Journal, March 2014 (Guest Column)

Classes/Lecturers/Seminars Taught

• Featured Panelist, American Inns of Court 2019 Bench & Bar Conference on topic of “Preparing the Key Witness for Trial,” the largest local bar meeting in the nation, attended by more than 4,000 judges and attorneys, March 2019
• Instructor for The National Judicial Judicial College's class action interactive video webcast entitled, “To Certify or Not: That is the Question." The program primarily provided education on: pre-certification discovery, best practices when handling the class certification hearing, selection of class representatives and class counsel, and preparing certification orders that withstand appeal. Mr. Sacher provided insight and guidance based on his class action experiences, from the perspective of plaintiff and defense counsel, as well as appellate counsel. The nationwide audience included sitting trial judges from around the country, April 2018
• Featured Panelist at 6th Annual Florida’s Grand Bench & Bar Conference on topic of “Managing & Handling Government Investigations,” the largest conference of its kind in the nation, attended by as many as 1,300 judges and attorneys
• Moderator, The Florida Bar’s Practicing with Professionalism Judicial Panel, August 2016
• Moderator of Judicial Panel at The Florida Bar's Practicing with Professionalism required CLE program for first year Florida attorneys
• Featured panelists at “The Ninth Annual Ethics Seminar: Moral Courage in action” in Boca Raton, on the subject of Whistleblowing Laws, with the Regional Director of the Miami Office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Inspector General for Broward County, Florida, November 2015
• Organized meeting between Broker-Dealers, Securities Industry Professionals, and SEC Commissioner Kara M. Stein, hosted at the SEC's Miami Regional Office, January 2015
• Moderator, Broker-Dealer Roundtable, hosted by Florida International Bankers Association ("FIBA"), August of 2013, with guest speaker, Sarah D. Green, Senior Director of Enforcement for FINRA
• Co-Moderator, Broker-Dealer Roundtable, hosted by Florida International Bankers Association ("FIBA"), February of 2013
• Co-Moderator, Broker-Dealer Roundtable, hosted by Florida International Bankers Association ("FIBA"), November of 2012
• Co-Moderator, Broker-Dealer Roundtable, hosted by Florida International Bankers Association ("FIBA") and KPMG, June of 2012
• Lecturer on Changes in the Securities Industry in the Current Economic Environment, as Well as Evolving Trends, FIBA Young Professionals Committee Educational Series, 2010
• Lecturer on Accountants' Liability before various CPAs and Attorneys, 2004 - Present
• Lecturer on Securities Litigation, Barry University Business School, International Finance, 2001

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Florida Bar
• Georgia Bar (Inactive)
• Federal Bar Association
• Florida Bar Grievance Committee (2016-2018, Chair 2018)
• Dade County Bar Association (Federal Courts Committee)
• Florida International Bankers Association

Past Employment Positions

• Sacher, Zelman, Hartman, Paul, Beiley & Sacher, P.A. - Name Partner, 2012-2015
• Sacher, Zelman, Van Sant, Paul, Beiley & Waldman, P.A. - Director, 2004-2015
• Hornsby, Sacher, Zelman, Stanton, Paul & Beiley, P.A. - Associate, 1998-2004
• Alan J. Baverman, P.C. - Associate, 1998
• Professor Pamela H. Bucy - Research Assistant, 1996 - 1997
• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission - Intern/Extern, 1996