Timothy P. O’Connor is the principal of O’Connor Law, LLC and was a founding Member of the firm’s predecessor, Meyer & O’Connor, LLC.
Mr. O’Connor is an accomplished trial and appellate lawyer and litigator who practices in the areas of complex commercial litigation, civil rights, employment, federal criminal defense and tort litigation.
Mr. O’Connor is rated “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell and has been designated a “Super Lawyer” fourteen times (2009-2010, 2012-23).
Mr. O’Connor has over 30 years of experience representing major corporations, substantial government entities and individuals in complex civil and criminal cases, including antitrust, civil racketeering, patent, contract, breach of fiduciary duty, directors and officers, product liability, common law tort, civil rights, employment and administrative review matters and federal and state criminal cases involving wire fraud, tax fraud, racketeering, firearms, narcotics and other charges.
Mr. O’Connor has tried ten federal jury trials and numerous bench trials, arbitrations and evidentiary hearings. Mr. O’Connor has also represented clients at numerous other court hearings and at mediations before retired judicial officers. Mr. O’Connor has handled matters in federal and state courts throughout the United States.
Mr. O’Connor has briefed and orally argued eight appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the Illinois Appellate Court and acted as lead counsel or appeared on the briefs in numerous other appeals.
Among Mr. O’Connor’s successful representations as lead counsel are the following:
- Obtained complete defense jury verdict in federal civil rights, tort trial.
- Obtained $1.5 million dollar settlement of claims against directors and officers of failed financial institution after mediation before retired federal magistrate judge
- Obtained confidential and other settlements of commercial matters after court proceedings, extended arbitral proceedings and/or mediation
- Obtained summary judgment, dismissal and/or favorable settlements of numerous civil rights and tort claims against law enforcement officers and related civil rights, tort and indemnity claims against a large municipality
- Obtained hung jury on, and subsequent agreement to dismiss, principal charge (possession of a firearm by a felon) in federal criminal case (co-lead counsel);
- Obtained suppression of alleged confession by juvenile transferred to adult criminal court after multi-day evidentiary hearing.
- Obtained favorable sentencing outcomes in a number of federal criminal cases.
Among the other significant matters in which Mr. O’Connor has played a substantial role are the following:
- Defense of major pharmaceutical company against product liability claim (jury venire filling out questionnaires when case continued and later settled; one of three second chairs to Dan Webb)
- Defense of major tobacco company against antitrust and related claims (one of two second chairs to Dan Webb during cross examination of critical economic expert)
- Defense of grocery store chain in federal bench trial against breach of contract claim (second chair; judgment for defendant)
- Defense of metal products manufacturer in two arbitral trials against breach of contract and/or statutory claims (second chair in both proceedings; favorable award in one proceeding)
- Defense of major tobacco company against racketeering and related claims
- Defense of major telecom equipment manufacturer against patent infringement claims
- Defense of major paper products manufacturer against patent infringement claim
- Defense of major tobacco company against indemnity claim brought by bankrupt asbestos manufacturing company
- Defense of major surgical products manufacturer against breach of license agreement and promissory fraud claims
- Defense of major medical testing firm against breach of contract claims and prosecution of breach of warranty and fraud counterclaims
- Defense of payment processing company against various employment, commercial and tort claims
- Defense of public pension fund in both trial and appellate courts against administrative review litigation of adverse benefits decisions (first chair during trial court and appellate court oral arguments)
- Defense of public corruption case
Mr. O’Connor is a member of the American Arbitration Association’s National Roster of Arbitrators for commercial cases. In addition, Mr. O’Connor serves as an Arbitrator in consumer cases for the American Arbitration Association.
Mr. O’Connor is a panel attorney in the Federal Defender Program. Mr. O’Connor also has served on the Chicago Bar Association Defense of Prisoners Committee and Chicago Bar Association Tort Committee.
Mr. O’Connor speaks and writes about legal issues. Among his articles and presentations are the following:
- Qualified Immunity Decisions Of The Seventh Circuit, 2014 -2020: Procedural And Substantive Developments, CLE Webinar (Zoom) (Summer, Fall, 2021);
- Qualified Immunity, Article in Review Magazine of the Illinois Municipal League (August, 2020)
- Qualified Immunity Decisions Of The Seventh Circuit, 2014 -2019: Procedural And Substantive Developments, CLE Webinar (Zoom) (Spring, Summer, Fall, 2020);
- Meyer & O’Connor Updates (2009-2014, 2019-2020) discussing § 230(c)(1) of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, the impact of Twombly and Iqbal on state court pleading standards, fiduciary duties arising in contractual and similar relationships, the proper description of an email string on a privilege log and other issues presented by privileged email, tortious interference with contract and prospective economic advantage, significant appellate decisions and various amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Federal Rules of Evidence, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure. Copies of the aforementioned editions of the Meyer & O’Connor Update are available at oconnorlaw.llc;
- Attorney-Client Privilege, other Privileges, the Work Product Doctrine and Related Issues, Presentation at Chicago Bar Association Tort Committee Seminar (March 2010);
- Recent Developments in the Law of Qualified Immunity in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Presentation at the Annual Conference of the Illinois Municipal League (September, 2010);
- Recent Developments in the Law of Qualified Immunity in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Article in Review Magazine of the Illinois Municipal League (September, 2010);
- Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and the Risk to Business: Employer Liability for Employee Misuse of the Internet, Presentation to Chicago Bar Association Corporate Law Departments Committee (April, 2008); and,
- A Deal Is A Deal, Or Is It? Presentation to Chicago Bar Association Corporate Law Departments Committee regarding the interplay of contract, fiduciary duty and tortious interference principles, (February, 2006);
Mr. O’Connor graduated cum laude with highest distinction in history from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1986, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Mr. O’Connor graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School in 1989. Before founding Meyer & O’Connor, LLC, Mr. O’Connor practiced law for eighteen years, first as an Associate and then as a Partner, in the Litigation Department of Winston & Strawn.
Education
B.A., History, 1986
University of Illinois
Cum Laude with Highest Distinction in History
Phi Beta Kappa
J.D., 1989
University of Michigan
Cum Laude
Prior Professional Experience
1997-2007, Partner, Winston & Strawn
1989-1997, Associate, Winston & Strawn
Contact
825 Chicago Avenue
Unit C-8
Evanston, Illinois 60202
312.346.9000
toconnor@meyeroconnor.com