 Margaret P. Joy began her career at Eckert Seamans, a large, multi-city firm headquartered in Pittsburgh, where she initially practiced primarily in the areas of estate and trust litigation, and estate planning and administration. Her practice expanded into family law in the early 1980s, when Pennsylvania law relating to family matters was completely overhauled. She had extensive experience doing business, tax and financial planning for families, and working closely with accountants, appraisers, actuaries, and other professionals in managing and planning for the financial needs of families. She became the second woman partner at Eckert Seamans in 1986, and was asked to create and head the Matrimonial Law Group at the firm. In that capacity, she represented clients in all types of matrimonial litigation and resolution, involving marital estates of up to $500,000,000 and some of the most prominent families in the region.
In 1993, Ms. Joy co-founded her current firm, McCarthy McDonald Schulberg & Joy. She has over 30 years of experience in all aspects of family law litigation, settlement, and evaluation. She has been engaged in the valuation of assets of all types, including closely-held business interests, stock options, all forms of executive compensation, trusts and professional practices; forensic accounting for assets and income; all types of custody disputes; and pre- and post-nuptial agreements. She has also acted as counsel for parties engaged in mediation and other methods of alternative dispute resolution for family law matters.
Ms. Joy is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a selective organization of the top family lawyers in the country. She is a frequent lecturer and writer on topics related to family law, marital agreements, and the interplay between family law and such fields as estate planning and bankruptcy. She is active in many pro bono programs, including giving legal advice on family law issues at Neighborhood Legal Services, North Hills Community Outreach, the Family Law Section’s program for parties who have no attorneys, and Pennsylvania Women Work, an organization which assists displaced homemakers in job retraining and placement. She is a member of the Family Law Sections of the American, Pennsylvania and Allegheny County Bar Associations, and a member of the Women’s Bar Association of Allegheny County. Ms. Joy has also served on many task forces involving emerging or changing family law issues, including proposed paternity legislation and support guideline reform.
Ms. Joy is particularly active in many community and nonprofit organizations. She is a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC); Chair of the Board of Magee-Womens Research Institute and Foundation (a research facility dedicated to women’s and infants’ health issues); a member of the Board of Magee-Womens Hospital; a member of the Board of United Way of Allegheny County and its Impact Cabinet (which determines the distribution of millions of dollars in United Way contributions to Pittsburgh-area charities); a Trustee of the Eden Hall Foundation; and a member of the Advisory Board of the Forbes Funds, an arm of the Pittsburgh Foundation, one of the largest community foundations in the country. She is also a graduate of Leadership Pittsburgh, a year-long leadership development program.
Ms. Joy graduated from Princeton University in 1974 (the second class to admit women), earning a degree in Psychology. She obtained her law degree in 1978 from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Ms. Joy may be reached by telephone at (412) 471-9900
and by e-mail at joy@mmsj.com. |
