Joel Vago represents municipalities and other clients in the collection of a wide variety of debts against individuals and commercial entities. Joel specializes in judgment enforcement and the engagement of sheriffs and marshals to enforce against assets of judgment debtors. He has leveraged liens attached to real property to effectuate payment of sizeable debts owed to his client. Joel has years of experience prosecuting claims in civil court on behalf of his clients. His strong oral advocacy and writing skills coupled with his detailed organization and passion for efficiency allows Joel to create a client-specific process needed to successfully prosecute a large volume of claims for his clients.

Prior to joining Wilson Elser, Joel ran the judgment enforcement department for the New York office of a large national firm that specializes in the collection of receivables for governmental entities. He developed policies and procedures and was intimately involved in litigating claims for a large municipality, and handled extensive consumer debt litigation. Joel has experience litigating from inception to trial and engaging in motion practice. He has successfully argued numerous appeals. Joel also has experience negotiating and drafting contracts on behalf of his clients.

    Education

    • St. John's University School of Law (J.D., 2010)
      • associate managing editor, N.Y. Litigator Law Journal
    • George Washington University (B.S., 2007)
      • summa cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa; founding member and Sergeant at Arms, The George Washington University Toastmasters Club

    Bar Admissions

    • New York

    Court Admissions

    • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York

    Awards & Honors

    • Selected for inclusion in New York Metro Super Lawyers® Rising Stars™ in the Creditor/Debtor Rights category, 2014, 2018-2023, 2025