In Memoriam: Joseph “Joe” Roberts III

Joseph “Joe” Roberts III died June 9, 2025. He was 85.

Roberts practiced law in Gaston County for more than 50 years, beginning in 1964 when he founded the Roberts Law Firm. He was was one of the few ACLU attorneys in Western North Carolina in the 1960s and ’70s and litigated many civil rights cases.  Eventually, he focused his practice on Workers’ Compensation. He was a member of NCAJ from 1970 to 2015.

Roberts served one term in the N.C. House of Representatives and in various leadership roles in the local and state Democratic Party.

Roberts earned his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Find his obituary here.