Upon graduation from Princeton University, Joyce served as a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator John C. Danforth (R - MO) until 1984. Following graduation from Catholic University Law School, he served as minority counsel to the Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space of the Senate's Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation from 1987 to 1989.

He then moved to the minority counsel position with the committee's Subcommittee on the Consumer where he led Republican efforts to establish uniform rules for product liability law. In addition, he advised Senators on issues pertaining to product safety, antitrust law, advertising, and consumer and telemarketing fraud.

Accepting leadership responsibilities with ATRA in 1994, Joyce has since appeared on numerous television and radio programs to discuss civil justice issues, and he has been quoted extensively in newspapers across the country. In 1995 the National Law Journal recognized him as one of its "40 under 40", a compilation of 40 influential lawyers in the nation under age 40.