Press Releases
Wilson Elser Continues Pattern of Growth; Adds Six Lateral Attorneys, Including Two New Partners in Los Angeles
November 4, 2025
Joshua Levine has more than 30 years of experience representing clients in all stages of the litigation process, including jury and court trials, arbitrations, mediations, and appeals. Josh is known for constructing supportable and understandable narratives out of cases that have complex histories and present highly technical issues. Josh has used those skills to guide clients through complicated environmental matters, including claims involving turn-of-the-century waste dumps, chlorinated solvent distribution centers, aerospace and semi-conductor manufacturing operations, eutrophic lakes, dry-cleaners, and recycling facilities.
Josh has successfully represented public entities and multinational clients in a wide variety of complex cases, including claims involving environmental contamination, breach of contract, toxic tort, habitability, and business torts. Josh specializes in the use of motion practice to narrow litigation issues before trial. He also has significant experience successfully preparing and arguing motions brought under California anti-SLAPP statutes. Josh also is proficient in negotiating and crafting settlements in matters that take into account client concerns over “long-tail” and uncertain risks presented by ongoing contamination. However, if necessary, Josh does not hesitate to take a matter to trial, and is skillful in presenting a compelling story to a jury.
Areas of Focus
Environmental
Josh is experienced in litigating matters arising under all aspects of federal and state environmental laws including the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the California Hazardous Substance Account Act (HSAA), and common law claims such as nuisance and trespass. He also represents parties in their dealings with regulatory agencies in connection with investigatory and remedial orders relating to site contamination.
Josh has represented clients in connection with claims involving chlorinated solvents, PCBs, nutrients, arsenic, lead, chlorides, petroleum hydrocarbons, dioxins, and other contaminants. He has represented municipalities in claims involving horse stables, water treatment plants, manufactured gas plants, municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s), agricultural run-off, waste dumps, shipyards, and other alleged sources of contamination. He has represented multinational companies in cases arising from manufacturing operations in the aerospace, electronics, and other industries. He also has represented environmental remediation and investigation companies in negligence and indemnification claims. Josh frequently represents owners of industrial property in environmental matters arising from past or present operations of tenants.
Toxic Tort
Josh has represented clients in connection with claims of personal injury due to alleged exposure to a wide variety of hazardous substances, including mold, chlorinated solvents, lead, asbestos, acids, silica, and benzene. He has represented equipment manufacturers, property managers, chemical distributors, and other businesses in claims based on product liability, habitability, negligence, statutory violations, and contractual violations.
- University of California, Los Angeles School of Law (J.D., 1994)
- Board Member, Moot Court Honors Program
- Cornell University (B.S. Public Administration, 1991)
- California
- Arizona
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
- Commendation, City of Lancaster for "demonstrated excellence in trial advocacy," 2013
- Named Southern California Rising Star™ by Los Angeles Magazine, 2005–2008
- Award of Meritorious Service, Consumer Attorneys of California, 2006