Joseph H. Baldiga
Partner
Legal Administrative Assistant Jennifer L. Park
Joe is a partner and chair of the firm's Creditors' Rights, Bankruptcy and Reorganization Group, where he concentrates his practice on creditor and debtor rights, bankruptcy proceedings, out-of-court loan restructurings, and the purchase and sale of distressed businesses.
He has represented debtors, creditors, official and unofficial creditors' committees, trustees and receivers in all types of bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings, including involuntary proceedings. Since 1997, Joe has served as a panel Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee for the District of Massachusetts (Central Division) and has acted as a Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 trustee and as a court-appointed examiner for operating companies in numerous bankruptcy cases. He has also served as an appointed member of the Bankruptcy Court's Local Rules Advisory Committee and Electronic Case Filing Rules Committee, and by appointment of the Supreme Judicial Court, as vice chair of the Clients’ Security Board.
Joe and his Mirick O’Connell team have the largest commercial bankruptcy practice in Massachusetts not based in Boston, and they offer expertise at cost efficient rates. Representative cases include:
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Since 2012, Joe has been the Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee for Southern Sky Air & Tours, LLC d/b/a Direct Air, a charter airline that had flown to many cities on the East Coast.
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In September 2016, Joe and his team filed the Chapter 11 case of Cosi, Inc. and its affiliates, one of the few recent public company Chapter 11 cases in Boston. The Debtors confirmed their Chapter 11 plan in May 2017 and emerged from Chapter 11 as an operating entity with new ownership.
Joe has been named a New England "Super Lawyer" by Boston magazine and Law & Politics, and every year since 2005, has been listed as a Massachusetts "Super Lawyer.” He was included in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers in America® for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law; and Litigation – Bankruptcy. He has been recognized in Best Lawyers in America® since 2006. In addition, Joe was named Best Lawyers® Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Westborough, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2023.
Among other community activities, Joe serves as a director of the 26.2 Foundation, which among other community investments aims to develop an International Marathon Museum in Hopkinton, MA. Joe has lead financial literacy seminars for juniors and seniors at Hopkinton High School, and serves on the Board of the Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce. Joe resides in Hopkinton with his wife and two children.
Bar & Court Admissions
- Massachusetts
- U.S. District Court for Massachusetts
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Boston College Law School JD, magna cum laude (1987), Order of the Coif
- Boston College BA, magna cum laude (1984)
Publications/Presentations
- Joe is a frequent panel participant and lecturer for continuing legal education programs, and has served as a member of MCLE's Business and Commercial Curriculum Advisory Committee
- “As Consumers Pull Back Postpandemic, Troubled Retailers Lose a Lifeline,” The Wall Street Journal, May 18, 2023 (contributor)
- Quoted in “Business and Personal Bankruptcy Filings in the U.S. Slowed in August,” The Wall Street Journal, September 2020
- Quoted in “Bankruptcy Bar Foresees More Work as Interest Rates Rise,” Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, October 2018
- Quoted in “Chapter 7 Trustee Entitled to Fee for Pre-Conversion Work,” Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, October 2018
- Quoted in “Looming Sears Bankruptcy Promises Plenty of Drama,” Retail Dive, October 2018
- Quoted in "Lawyers Departing Chapter 7 Business," Boston Business Journal, March 30-April 5, 2007
- "Bankruptcy Court Determines When a Loan is Not a Loan," Banker & Tradesman, February 10, 2003 (co-author)
- "Bankruptcy Courts Viewing Debtors With Closer Scrutiny," New England Real Estate Journal, October 30-November 5, 1998 (co-author)
- "Recent Bankruptcy Cases View Debtors With Closer Scrutiny," Banker & Tradesman, September 1998 (co-author)
- Supplements to "Obtaining Credit," in James F. Queenan, Jr., et, al., Chapter 11 Theory and Practice: A Guide to Reorganization (Horsham, Penn.: LAP Publications, 1994) (1997-1999)
Professional / Community Affiliations
- American Bankruptcy Institute
- Chestnut Street Meeting House Association, trustee
- Massachusetts Bar Association
- Boston Bar Association, Financial Literacy Program; co-chair of Bankruptcy Section (2000-2002); Steering Committee; Venue Reform Committee
- Worcester County Bar Association, Bankruptcy Law Committee, past co-chair
- Board of Bar Overseers, Hearing Officer (2019-present)
- Supreme Judicial Court, Client Security Board, board member and vice chair, 2012-2017
- Supreme Judicial Court, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers Oversight Committee, 2022-2026
- 26.2 Foundation, Board of Directors, member
- Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors, member
- Hopkinton Lake Maspenock , Citizen Advisory Group, chair
- Hampden County Bar Association, Bankruptcy Section
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