ph: 615.254.1877
email: joe.imburgia@watlawgroup.com
Joe is an experienced trial attorney and former federal and military judge with decades of high-level legal experience. He joined the firm in late 2025 Of Counsel and brings a disciplined, thoughtful, and client-focused approach to civil litigation, informed by a career prosecuting, defending, and presiding over thousands of trials, resolving complex, high-stakes disputes, and advising senior leaders at the highest levels of government.
Before entering private practice, Mr. Imburgia was appointed as a United States Immigration Judge in 2019, where he served for nearly six years. That federal service followed more than 29 years in the United States Air Force, including his undergraduate education at the United States Air Force Academy. During his military career, he served as Chief Circuit Military Judge for the Pacific and Deputy Chief Circuit Military Judge for the Western Circuit, presiding over courts-martial across the United States and the Asia-Pacific region. He also held multiple senior general counsel and diplomatic roles, including service at the U.S. Embassy in Australia, where he advised senior military and diplomatic officials and represented U.S. interests in international legal and regulatory matters.
Mr. Imburgia holds an LL.M. with a concentration in International Law and is a published author in leading law reviews on national security and international law. His professional honors include national trial advocacy awards and multiple military commendations, culminating in the Defense Legion of Merit. A 2002 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, he was selected for membership in the Order of Barristers, a national honor recognizing excellence in advocacy, and was named the College of Law’s Advocate of the Year by the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. He approaches every matter with meticulous preparation, clear communication, and a practical, results-oriented focus on achieving the best possible outcome for his clients.
Originally from the Chicagoland area, Mr. Imburgia has long maintained close ties to Tennessee, where he has family and lifelong friends. Those connections led him to attend the University of Tennessee College of Law and ultimately return to the state to build his practice and raise his family. He now resides in the Nashville area and maintains close family connections in the Tri-Cities region. Mr. Imburgia is the father of two teenagers and, in his free time, enjoys traveling, skiing, hiking, and SCUBA diving.
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