Joel D. Ruben has been a real estate and business lawyer in the Los Angeles area since 1977. Joel practices primarily in the areas of business and real estate transactions and early dispute resolution. With an extensive background in trials, arbitrations and mediations arising from business and real estate transactions gone awry, Joel has used this experience in negotiating and drafting real estate and business contracts that maximize the protection of his client's interests and minimize the risks of future litigation.
In 1971, Joel graduated from U.C.L.A. with a B.A. in Political Science, Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. In 1977, he was awarded the degree of Juris Doctor from U.C. Davis School of Law where he graduated Order of the Coif.
Since 1977, Joel has been admitted to practice before the California Supreme Court and all other Courts of the State of California, and the Federal District Court for the Central District of California. He began his legal career with Greenberg & Glusker in Century City where he was an associate between 1977-1984. Then, for 18 years, Joel was a partner of Lipofsky & Ruben.
Joel is dedicated to professional excellence, the highest ethical standards and civility in his professional relationships. Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory has awarded Joel its highest rating for legal ability and ethical standards (AV). Between 2000 and 2007, Joel was a member of the Professional Responsibility and Ethics Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
Joel has demonstrated his versatility and creativity as an attorney over the course of his career. During the years Joel litigated (1977 to 2019) he prosecuted and defended complex real estate, environmental, commercial and general business litigation matters on behalf of corporate, institutional and individual clients, and he has helped his clients achieve a number of large settlements and judgments.
Since 2019, Joel has concentrated his practice on helping his clients with real estate and business transaction. Joel is a skilled negotiator who has handled and successfully closed many commercial real estate transactions involving office buildings, shopping centers, industrial buildings, and undeveloped land and he has been involved in the purchase and sale of a variety of businesses. Joel has also helped his clients sell their businesses to private parties and public companies.
Joel has lectured other lawyers and real estate agents on subjects such as real estate purchase and sale agreements, real estate disclosures and legal ethics.
Joel enjoys music, singing and performing in his spare time. For 10 years he performed for in-patients at the Shriners Hospitals for Children -- Los Angeles. In 1973-1974, Joel and David Avadon successfully launched and co-starred in the Childrens' Concert Series at McCabe's Guitar Shop, a nationally known folk music venue in Santa Monica. Joel has also performed in a number of benefit concerts to raise money for college scholarships.
Joel is a member of the Manhattan Beach Rotary Club, and he has served on the Community Advisory Board of the Shriners Hospitals for Children -- Los Angeles, and as the 2006-2008 Chair of the Rotary/Shriners Hospital Alliance. Joel is the proud father of 3 children: his son is a digital media designer in Brooklyn; one of his twin daughters works for Microsoft in Palo Alto; Joel's other daughter is an attorney at Morgan Lewis in San Francisco.
