Joseph Torda — Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia

An alumnus of the University of Vermont, Joseph “Joe” Torda earned a double major bachelor’s in Political Science and English in 2008 and later enrolled at St. John’s University School of Law. Through three years at the Queens, New York-based institution, he held several extracurricular positions, including senior staff member for the Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development and executive board member of the Public Interest Committee. Joseph Torda earned his Juris Doctorate in 2013 and began his career that year at the Miami-Dade Office of the State Attorney.

During his five years of service as an assistant state’s attorney, Joseph Torda worked in the Circuit Felony Trial Division, where he was assigned to hundreds of first-degree and punishable by life felonies. His duties involved conducting discovery depositions and sworn witness interviews, drafting and litigating pre-trial motions, negotiating plea agreements, and conducting criminal trials.

Joe Torda joined the Philadelphia Office of the District Attorney’s Major Trials Unit as an assistant district attorney in 2018. Currently, he is assigned to its Insurance Fraud Unit, where he investigates suspicious insurance claims and reviews arrest and search warrants to ensure legal sufficiency. Mr. Torda is also responsible for conducting preliminary hearings for the office’s Gun Violence Task Force.