Associate John J. Hawk, Jr. (Joe) joined Walentine O’Toole, LLP in May 2021 as a law clerk and became an Associate in September 2021. Joe is a member of the firm’s banking and real estate practice group. He practices primarily in the creditors’ rights area handling foreclosures, bankruptcies, evictions, title issues, loss mitigation, litigation, and collection matters.
In 2014, Joe graduated cum laude with high honors from Wayne State College with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a minor in Computer Information Systems. Joe worked in Financial Processing for an international IT organization for the next 7 years, first as a Software Developer, and later as a Manager of Information Technology. Joe’s time in Software Development taught him the importance of keeping deadlines and attention to detail, while his time in management taught him creative problem solving and how to foster client relationships. Joe continued to work part-time in software development while attending law school at the University of Nebraska Lincoln from 2018-2021.
While not at work, Joe volunteers with various local nonprofit organizations, coaches high school students in public speaking and competitive play production, enjoys reading history and philosophy, and has a passion for live theater.
