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About Joseph Taraska
Florida attorney Joseph Taraska began his collegiate studies at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. Joseph Taraska earned a Bachelor of Science in International Affairs and the distinction of Outstanding Cadet in Law. That year, Joseph Taraska matriculated at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1972. Also in 1972, attorney Joseph Taraska returned to the United States Air Force to serve in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. After two years, attorney Joseph Taraska continued his education at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), a branch of the United States Department of Defense, where he received special training in forensics, anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and hospital administration. The education AFIP provided to attorney Joseph Taraska enabled him to become one of only six forensic medical/legal consultants for the U.S. Air Force.
Starting in 1976, attorney Joseph Taraska entered private practice as a litigator, Associate, and eventually partner with the Orlando, Florida, law firm Maguire, Voorhis and Wells, P.A., concentrating on health care matters while representing hospitals and physicians. After several years, attorney Joseph Taraska founded his own Orlando law firm, Taraska & Hill, P.A. For over a decade, attorney Joseph Taraska remained with the practice (which eventually became Taraska, Grower, Unger & Ketcham, P.A.) until he established himself as a sole practitioner with Joseph Martin Taraska, P.A.
Jacobs & Goodman, P.A., in Altamonte Springs, Florida, retained attorney Joseph Taraska to represent plaintiffs in complex litigation as its Department Head for Health Law. After a decade, attorney Joseph Taraska joined the law firm Morgan & Morgan, P.A., where he continues to represent plaintiffs in matters related to health law, medical malpractice, products liability, and complex litigation.
In addition to serving as an attorney, Joseph Taraska regularly writes articles on legal matters, develops textbooks on health law including A Legal Guide for Physicians, contributes chapters to publications, and lectures throughout the state of Florida and throughout the country.
Joseph Taraska's Companies
Joseph Taraska's Publications
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The University of Pennsylvania Law School, Joseph Taraska's Blog on Bigsight
March, 2011
Founded in 1850, the University of Pennsylvania Law School has enjoyed guidance and influence from some of the United States’ most dynamic and progressive historical figures. In particular, James Wilson and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin proved instrumental in shaping the University of Pennsylvania Law School as a superior institute of higher education.
After Benjamin Franklin established the University of Pennsylvania in 1740, James Wilson began teaching law to its students in 1790, giving lectures in a meeting house at the corner of 4th Street and Arch in Philadelphia. The University of Pennsylvania established an official law department in 1850 under the direction of Senior Professor of Law George Sharswood.
Today, the University of Pennsylvania Law School maintains its status as an Ivy League institution, with U.S. News & World Report ranking it the seventh best in the country. The Princeton Review likewise named the University of Pennsylvania Law School first in terms of career prospects.
In addition to the traditional Juris Doctor (JD), Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparative Laws (LLCM), and Doctor of the Science of Law (SJD) degrees, the University of Pennsylvania Law School offers specialized certificate programs. Students can earn certification as part of the three-year Juris Doctor program in areas such as business and public policy, Middle East and Islamic studies, environmental science, and gender and sexuality studies, among others.
Students may also pursue cross-disciplinary study through the University of Pennsylvania Law School’s many institutes and programs, including the Institute for Law and Economics; the Penn Program on Documentaries and the Law; and the Center for Technology, Innovation and Competition.
Notable University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni include former NATO Ambassador Thomas K. Finletter; former Attorney General George W. Wickersham; legal scholar Natalie Wexler; and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, the first African American woman to graduate from Penn Law and gain admittance to Pennsylvania Bar Association. She later earned an appointment to the Civil Rights Commission by then-President Harry S. Truman.
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Judge Advocate General’s Corps, Joseph Taraska's Blog on Bigsight
March, 2011
Between 1972 and 1976, Joseph Taraska served as a Judge Advocate in the United States Air Force. As members of the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, Judge Advocates serve as the legal representatives within all branches of the United States armed forces. Unlike Judge Advocates in the Army and Navy, who only serve in legal capacities, Judge Advocates in the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard also hold positions as line officers.
Members of the JAG Corps deal primarily with the military law of the United States as set forth by the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Established in 1951 by an act of Congress, the UCMJ applies to all members of the armed forces and affiliated groups such as the NOAA Corps and the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Although the UCMJ is the primary resource for legal matters within the armed forces, military personnel are still accountable to the laws outlined in the Constitution, where applicable.
In the military, the avenue for Judge Advocates to argue criminal cases is referred to as the court-martial. There are three types of courts-martial, each with its own structure and set of standards. The Summary Court-Martial primarily deals with minor offenses among enlisted personnel and carries a maximum penalty of one-month confinement, loss of two-thirds of pay, and a demotion in rank. The Special Court Martial deals with either civilians or enlisted personnel who have violated military law, usually involving intermediate offenses such as disobedience, battery, assault, and larceny. The General Court-Martial handles the most serious charges, including homicide, drug distribution, sexual assault, and desertion, and includes a minimum of five people in the jury.
To become a member of the JAG Corps, potential Judge Advocates must receive a law degree from an accredited university and earn a license to practice law in any state or territory of the United States. In addition to the fundamental legal training obtained at law schools, Judge Advocates must undergo a series of military-specific legal training at one of three schools: the Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island; the Air Force Judge Advocate General School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama; or The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia. At these specialty schools, Judge Advocates learn the skills necessary to serve as trial or defense counsel at courts-martial.
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