Joel Levine was born in Brooklyn New York. He attended Syosset High School, SUNY Buffalo '63 and graduated from Harvard Law School '66. After law school he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Venezuela. He practiced law in New York, partnered in running a successful law firm in Miami, was a principal in one of the largest real estate companies in the southeast United States, and was President and CEO of LA based Gibraltar Entertainment, a company that produced twelve movies and a television series.

Presently, Joel is a Mediator and Arbitrator based in Miami handling a variety of U.S. and international matters. He is the author of the highly acclaimed book, The Corruption of Michael Levitt, a novel about a bright but naïve young lawyer who, despite his best intentions, is gradually corrupted by the world he's chosen.