JOE VANHOOSE

Joe joined our firm in early 2012 and we quickly discovered that he’s “no ordinary Joe.” For one thing, his friends call him “Hoose,” rather than his given name. He also has a wide range of interests, skills and experiences that serve him well as a Jackson Spalding team member in our Athens office.

Prior to joining our firm, Joe was a features reporter for two and a half years at the Athens Banner-Herald, where he covered human interest, entertainment, dining, health and business stories. His responsibilities also included the robust music scene, which felt like a job perk when he was paid to go to concerts and meet recording artists. Joe was also a reporter at Florida’s Ocala Star-Banner, covering everything from crime to sports and writing blogs and columns related specifically to car racing. His first job was in event promotion for a firm that mounted festivals in the Jacksonville, Fla. market.

Joe graduated, cum laude, with a B.A. in Communications, from Jacksonville University, a school he originally selected because of its campus golf course. He traded in his dream to become a sportscaster after the journalism department chair invited him to a magazine production class. The reporter bug bit hard, and Joe joined the college paper, becoming editor his senior year.

Golf is still a passion, as is stock car racing. Joe started watching NASCAR on cable as a four-year-old and is thrilled that his career has allowed him to cover the Daytona 500 as a pool reporter. He tinkers as a guitarist and songwriter, inspired by his frequent drives along the back roads of Georgia in search of the world’s best barbecue. Learn more about his folksy style at www.joevanhoose.com.