AssociateJoanna W. Gisel

Overview

Joanna is an associate in SS+D’s Corporate Department. She joined the firm as a Summer Associate in 2019 and 2020, and she returned full-time in 2021 after finishing law school. Joanna began in the firm’s Litigation Department and transitioned to the Corporate Department in 2024. Joanna brings a wealth of knowledge from her time as a litigator to her practice as a corporate attorney, providing business owners with valuable insights into compliance strategies and contract negotiation with the goal of avoiding future litigation. She is admitted to the Bar in Ohio, as well as the Southern District of Ohio.

Professional Experience / Focus Areas

Joanna works with the firm’s general Corporate Group, serving in almost every area, but particularly focusing on antitrust compliance, ERISA compliance, commercial contract drafting and negotiation, and corporate governance.

Joanna is a Daytonian through and through. She was raised in Centerville and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Dayton in 2018. She then graduated first in her class and summa cum laude from the University of Dayton School of Law (UDSL) in 2021 with a concentration in Human and Civil Rights.

During law school, Joanna served as a Comment Editor for the University of Dayton Law Review, and her comment Lessons Learned: A Successful and Balanced Framework for Post-Conflict Transitional Justice in Myanmar was selected for publication.

Joanna is heavily involved in the Dayton Bar Association, serving as a current Co-Chair for the Women in Law section. Joanna is also a core member of the DBA’s Social Justice Initiative, coordinating the Initiative’s Adopt-a-School program. Joanna was a graduate of the DBA’s 2022-23 Leadership Development Program.

Personal

While not serving her clients, Joanna enjoys hiking, yoga, exploring Dayton’s restaurants and breweries, and spending time with friends and family, her husband, Ben, and their cat, Meg.

Awards

• Best Brief, UDSL Walter H. Rice Moot Court Competition, 2019
• CALI Awards (highest grade in a law school class): Civil Procedure I and II, Torts I, Legal Profession I and II, Criminal Law, Legislation, Contracts Law II, International Law, Appellate Practice and Procedure, Fundamentals of Evidence, Professional Responsibility, Criminal Procedure, Civil Trial Practice, Wills and Trusts, Bar Practice and Process, Social Justice Capstone, and Civil Law Clinic.