Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2022 
Joelle C. Rocha is a trial and appellate attorney with nearly two decades of experience litigating real estate, land use, and municipal law disputes in Rhode Island and Massachusetts state and federal courts. She is Senior Counsel and Co-Chair of the Real Estate and Land Use Practice Group at Adler Pollock & Sheehan, P.C.
Joelle represents developers, property owners, businesses, in real estate development disputes, zoning and permitting appeals, land use litigation, construction and contract disputes, lawsuits related to unlawful governmental actions and complex multi-party commercial litigation. She has argued before the Rhode Island Supreme Court, including on multiple issues of first impression, and has litigated class actions that recovered more than $1,000,000 for business and property owners charged unlawful municipal fees.
From 2022-2026, Joelle served as Legal and Policy Advisor to the Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, drafting and analyzing major land use and housing legislation during the 2023–2026 legislative sessions, work that produced some of the most significant changes to Rhode Island land use law in decades.
