Joshua R. "Josh" Goodbaum

A graduate of Harvard and Yale, and a multiple-time Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” for employment law, Joshua R. Goodbaum represents individuals in litigation and negotiation, with particular emphases in employment, civil rights, and appeals. He has represented clients in every level of our justice system, from local trial courts to the Supreme Court of the United States, in matters ranging from constitutional law to contract disputes.

Josh’s experience in Connecticut employment law runs the gamut, from discrimination (on the basis of race, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, pregnancy, or national origin) and sexual harassment, to wrongful termination, retaliation, non-competition agreements, contract disputes, and wage and hour issues, including claims for unpaid overtime and commissions. He has successfully counseled employees and executives in the negotiation of separation agreements of all sizes – from less than $25,000 to more than $25 million. He has represented employees in virtually every sector of the Connecticut economy: accounting, banking, construction, entertainment, finance, government, healthcare, higher education, hospitality, insurance, law, manufacturing, and technology. And he has partnered in litigation with leading civil rights organizations, including the AARP Foundation, GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), and the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund.

Beyond his focus on employment law, Josh regularly assists his fellow lawyers with appeals and other complex legal projects, regardless of the subject matter. He honed his writing skills while serving as a law clerk for Associate Justice Neil M. Gorsuch of the Supreme Court of the United States when Justice Gorsuch was a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Josh’s writing has appeared in a variety of legal publications, including the Harvard Law Review.

Josh was elected by his peers to serve in the Connecticut Bar Association House of Delegates. He previously served as Chair of the Bar Association’s 650-member Labor & Employment Law Section, and currently serves on the Executive Committees of the Labor & Employment Law and Federal Practice Sections.

Josh’s preeminent status in the Connecticut legal community is widely recognized. He ranks among The Best Lawyers in America, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. The Connecticut Law Tribune named him one of its 2015 “New Leaders of the Law,” and he has been designated as a “Rising Star” by Connecticut SuperLawyers since 2015. Martindale-Hubbell rates him as AV Preeminent, which indicates that his peers and judges rank him at the highest level of professional excellence.

Prior to joining Garrison, Levin-Epstein in 2011, Josh worked at a large corporate firm in Washington, DC, and interned at Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) in Boston, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Josh earned his law degree from Harvard Law School. He graduated magna cum laude, reflecting a grade point average in the top ten percent of his graduating class. While at Harvard, Josh served as a Supervising Editor of the Harvard Law Review and Co-Chair of the Public Interest Auction. Josh went to college at Yale University, graduating magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with a degree in history. Between college and law school, he worked for an industrial supply distribution company in Chicago, IL.

Josh is a native of the New Haven area and serves on the Board of Directors of the New Haven Legal Assistance Association. In his spare time, he enjoys choral singing, playing tennis, and doting on his dog, Mungo.