About Joseph M.
Joseph M. Laraia earned his B.A. from DePauw University in 1959 and received his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law in 1962. Those years set the stage for a career that has spanned decades of courtroom work, bar service and local legal leadership. He is admitted to practice in Illinois and before the Federal District Court of the Northern District of Illinois.
Laraia began practicing law in the mid-1960s. By 1966 he was working at Laraia & Laraia, P.C., a firm where he would spend many years building trial experience. In 2019 he became owner of Laraia & Whitty Lawyers at Law, the office he currently operates. The shift reflected a long arc of private practice and an ongoing presence in DuPage County’s legal community.
Throughout his career Laraia took on leadership roles in several professional organizations. He served as president of the DuPage County Bar Association in 1979–1980 and was named the association’s "Man of the Year" in that same period. He chaired the bar’s Criminal Law, Judiciary and Entertainment Court Facilities committees at various times. He has been active in the DuPage County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and previously served as its president. He was a founding member and later president of the DuPage County Judicial Society of Lawyers, and he participates in the DuPage County Inns of Court.
His statewide and national ties run to multiple organizations. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and was recognized by the Academy of Illinois Lawyers with a Laureate Award. He has served on or been involved with the Illinois State Bar’s Criminal Law Committee. He also belongs to the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.
Laraia’s practice work reflects his committee assignments and memberships. Much of his courtroom work has involved criminal defense and trial matters. He has handled cases at the county level and in federal court, and has spent decades conducting jury trials, arraignments and courtroom hearings. Colleagues describe him as an experienced courtroom lawyer who has combined bench-side familiarity with long-term practice in the DuPage County legal environment.
Now in practice at Laraia & Whitty Lawyers at Law, he continues to represent clients in criminal matters and related litigation. His current practice centers on trial work and criminal defense in state and federal courts.
