John J. O'Connell

In The News

John J. O'Connell is a partner in the Firm's litigation department.

Mr. O'Connell has represented clients in federal and state courts throughout the United States in securities, antitrust, products liability, environmental and construction litigation. He represented three major public utilities in an action to recover damages for the two year outage of a major regional power plant. Mr. O’Connell negotiated one of the largest settlements ever obtained in such an action.

Mr. O'Connell was lead defense counsel for a major manufacturer of cigarettes in over 25 products liability cases brought in Texas and Louisiana. All the cases were dismissed without any recovery by plaintiffs.

In the environmental arena, Mr. O'Connell was lead counsel for a municipality in an action for public nuisance caused by a massive joint project of the federal, state and county governments. He negotiated a groundbreaking settlement that eliminated the nuisance, restored damaged property, and led to an increase in property values of $500,000,000.

Mr. O'Connell also has successfully represented corporations and their officers or directors in actions involving claims of securities fraud. He has defended major telecommunications companies and automobile manufactures against claims of design defect.

Mr. O'Connell also has extensive experience in advising clients in a wide range of international corporate and commercial matters. Most recently, he represented a client in connection with the acquisition of a major manufacturing facility in a former Soviet bloc country.

Mr. O'Connell always has been deeply involved in pro bono legal activities. Currently he is the executive director of the Guild of Catholic Lawyers of the Archdiocese of New York. Among its activities, the Guild sponsors educational programs and offers pro bono legal opportunities for its members.

Mr. O'Connell also clerked for the Honorable Thomas F. Croaks, United States District Judge, Southern District of New York from 1972 to 1974.

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