Born on February 14, 1916, in Maquoketa, Iowa,[1] Joiner received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa in 1937 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1939. He was in private practice in Des Moines, Iowa from 1939 to 1947. He was in the United States Army Air Forces as a Lieutenant during World War II, from 1943 to 1945. He was a member of the faculty of University of Michigan Law School from 1947 to 1965. He was an associate dean for the University of Michigan Law School from 1960 to 1968. He was acting dean of the University of Michigan Law School from 1965 to 1966. He was an Alderman for the City of Ann Arbor, Michigan, from 1955 to 1959. He was director of research and drafting for the Constitutional Convention of the State of Michigan from 1961 to 1962. He was a dean and professor of law at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan from 1967 to 1972. He was a lecturer in law for the University of Michigan Law School from 1974 to 1984.[2]
