Bryan J. O'Connor, Partner

Bryan J O'Connor has distinguished himself as a trial lawyer willing to take on difficult cases other attorneys have refused to handle. He is a life-long Chicago resident and a 1977 graduate of Northwestern University School of Law. He has represented plaintiffs in personal injury cases continuously since his admission to the bar in 1977. Although the bulk of his practice is based in Chicago, he maintains an active practice in the collar counties and downstate Illinois, and has handled cases in Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, Arkansas and Texas.

Mr. O'Connor is recognized in the field of nursing home liability, but also concentrates in construction and workplace litigation, product liability, medical negligence and motor vehicle/truck litigation. He has tried over 100 jury cases to verdict. He has handled a number of precedent setting cases involving liability of cab companies for the intentional acts of their drivers, liability of nursing homes for sexual abuse of residents, a record verdict in Kane County for victims injured in a hot air balloon accident, and the liability of City of Chicago for failure to post clearance signs on viaducts resulting in citywide placement of these signs. He also was one of the principal attorneys working on a case involving a carbon monoxide leak from a newly designed high-efficiency furnace, which resulted in the deaths of ten people, and which compelled the manufacturer to correct the product’s design. He also handles workers compensation claims, insurance litigation and premises liability cases.

Professional memberships include Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA), Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), and Catholic Lawyers Guild. He has lectured at seminars sponsored by ITLA and Continuing Legal Education programs sponsored by ISBA. He is active with St Rita High School, serving on its Board of Directors and major fundraising committees.