Joe Phelan brings many years of the research and writing experience. His responsibilities are assisting in reviewing cases for potential issues, and research and writing.

He is a graduate of The University of Mississippi at Oxford. He previously served as the pro se clerk for the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, and worked for the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Tennessee as a paralegal specializing in research and writing. He was named Outstanding Federal Defender Paralegal by the Association of Federal Defenders.