Joseph Edwards '88
A True Renaissance Man
by Kate Abu-Absi | April 8, 2026
Starting an alumni profile is always the hardest part. After gathering information, speaking to the individual, and sorting through what I’ve learned about them personally and professionally, I search for a hook that will grab the reader. I always find this a challenge, but College of Law alum Joseph F. Edwards ’88 has proven to be the most vexing subject to date because he is impossible to categorize. He is so many things. A semi-retired lawyer, a working farmer, a poet, a historian, a husband and father, a rural southerner, an international traveler, an educator, a student, an octogenarian … I think I’ve made my point. He is the quintessential student of life, and the College of Law is one of many stops along the way, so buckle up.
Growing up on a farm in Eastern North Carolina, Mr. Edwards recognizes that his family was poor, but they had what they needed, and that was enough. One of his brothers went on to become a game warden, and two others continued farming, but after taking a French class in high school, Joe made the bold choice to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Lyon, France. At that time, international education was accessible even for people without means, and tuition was less than room and board, with a private dorm room (with maid service) costing $16.50 a month.
Post-graduation, Mr. Edwards worked under Secretary-General Milan Bodi at the International Civil Defense Organization in Geneva before deciding to pursue a JD and practice international law. So, at the age of 40 with a wife and three children aged 6, 4, and 2, he moved the family to the Midwest and began at the University of Toledo College of Law. He found the coursework a challenge, but even with a young family, he took on the demanding role as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review and remembers his time at law school as a very happy one for his family. While in law school, Mr. Edwards clerked for the law firm Spengler, Nathanson in downtown Toledo.
After earning his JD, he obtained a Graduate Degree in international and comparative law in Brussels, practiced law in Adrian, Michigan, taught International Law at Toledo, and in 1994 moved to Putnam County, Tennessee, approximately 90 miles outside of Nashville, where he currently lives. He has represented clients in cases in the Caribbean and in Europe. Over the years, he has published poetry, novels ("Sanctified", 2013), short stories ("The Archbishop of Appalachia, Stories and Musings from the Archdiocese"), and continues to do so. He recently wrote "The Law and Philosophy of War" (2025), available on Amazon, and has practiced law and farmed in rural Tennessee since his move there. He continues to audit classes at Tennessee Technological University from time to time because he is as curious as ever and never wants to stop learning. In my humble opinion, he has nothing to worry about.
Q&A with Joseph Edwards
Where did you grow up?
Rural eastern North Carolina
When did you begin thinking about law as a career?
1986, the year I entered law school
How did you decide on Toledo Law for your legal education?
I received an invitation to apply. I applied and was accepted right away.
Do you have a favorite memory from attending Toledo Law?
Sitting in the Forum talking law with my colleagues
What did you find difficult about your time in law school?
Extremely rigorous academics
What law school experiences helped shape your practice area/career path?
Classes that I took from Richard Edwards (no kin) in international law, and from Rhoda
Berkowitz in art law. Both wanted me to take a class they were teaching, and I asked
if I could write one paper for the two classes. That paper became the basis of my
thesis in Brussels, and later was published at Rich Edwards’s request in a law review
issue dedicated to him--Volume 22, Issue 4, I believe.
What was your first position after law school? How did you find it?
LLM student in Brussels, then solo practitioner in Adrian, Michigan, and lecturer
in law at the UT College of Law
What are some of your career highlights?
An occasional win in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and occasional acquittals
in federal court (For the last 30 years or so, my practice has been almost exclusively
in the federal criminal jurisdiction).
What are some of the struggles you have encountered in your career, and how did you
navigate them?
I try to treat each client as a person, a human being. But I cannot give my best without
also treating the case clinically. There is continuous tension between these two elements
of a lawyer’s representation. It is a major struggle for the lawyer, and in my view,
it simply cannot be resolved. It is a bedrock part of our profession. And it should
be. Any lawyer who deals directly with clients knows what I am talking about.
What have you found most satisfying about your career thus far?
Serving the underserved
Do you have any suggestions for law students/new lawyers interested in a similar career
path?
In every case, get the big picture and then focus on the basics. Learn how to define
victory.
What was the best advice you ever received?
In every case, get the big picture and then focus on the basics. Learn how to define
victory.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Hanging out with my sheep and my donkeys; reading, writing, painting.
Who is someone you admire and why?
Ralph Nader. He renounced materialism, took on the giants, and trained many a young
lawyer to do the same. A true, selfless public servant.