Joseph has been practicing law for over twenty years and is currently the managing partner of the firm. He is a lifelong resident of the Hudson Valley and relies on his connections to the community to best serve his clients. Joseph graduated from Brown University in 1993 and played both division one football and golf for the Brown Bears. He graduated from St. John’s University School of Law in 1996. Joseph dedicates a majority of his time to representing seriously and catastrophically injured individuals harmed by construction, motor vehicle, motorcycle, and bicycle accidents, as well as those harmed by defective products.

Joseph is admitted to practice law in the State of New York, as well as the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts of New York. He has been admitted pro hac vice in New Jersey, Utah, and Texas.

Joseph is on the Board of Directors for the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers. He regularly presents Continuing Legal Education lectures, statewide and nationally. Joseph is a member of the American Association for Justice, the New York State Judicial Screening Committee, the American Bar Association, the Ulster County Bar Association, and the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys.

Joseph has continuously been named as one of the top 25 lawyers of the Hudson Valley and Upstate New York by Super Lawyers for 2015 through 2021. He carries a Martindale-Hubbell A.V. Preeminent rating, as well as a perfect 10 rating with AVVO. Many of his cases have been featured on television, including the Today Show and Anderson 360. The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and the New York Journal have all featured cases he litigated.

Mr. O’Connor’s recent settlements and verdicts are listed below.

Areas of Practice

   
• Personal Injury
   
• Medical Malpractice
   
• Construction Accidents
   
• Labor Law
   
• Traumatic Brain Injuries
   
• Motor Vehicle Accidents
   
• Motorcycle Accidents

Litigation Percentage

100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Verdicts & Settlements:

(Parties Remain Confidential)

   
• $7,770,000.00 Settlement for a construction worker for injuries he sustained at the workplace.
   
• $6,000,000.00 Settlement for injuries that resulted from a defective car.
   
• $4,900,00.00 Settlement for product liability resulting in severe burns.
   
• $2,050,000.00 Settlement for injured bicyclist.
   
• $2,000,000.00 Personal injury claim settled for a Hudson Valley plaintiff.
   
• $2,000,000.00 Settlement for injured bicyclist.
   
• $1,900,000.00 Settlement for an injury sustained at a construction site.
   
• $1,900,000.00 Settlement for injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident.
   
• $1,675,000.00 Settlement for injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident.
   
• $1,600,000.00 Settlement for a wrongful death bicycle accident.
   
• $1,500,000.00 Settlement for an injured motorcyclist.
   
• $1,050,000.00 Settlement for claims of negligent operation of a motor vehicle and dangerous automotive products. The matter was settled before the deposition stage.
   
• $900,000.00 Settlement for multiple orthopedic injuries to lower extremities.
   
• $725,000.00 Settlement for an injured tractor-trailer operator.
   
• $700,000.00 Settlement for injuries suffered in a pedestrian versus motor vehicle accident.
   
• $625,000.00 Settlement for injuries from a motor vehicle accident including a herniated lumbar disc. The plaintiff’s vehicle was rear-ended causing minimum damage to the vehicle.
   
• $550,000.00 Settlement for injuries suffered in a construction site accident.

Bar Admissions

   
• New York
   
• U.S. District Court Northern District of New York
   
• U.S. District Court Southern District of New York
   
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York
   
• U.S. District Court Northern New Jersey

Education

   
• St John’s University School of Law, Jamaica, New York
  J.D. – 1997
   
• Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
  B.A. – 1992
   
• Honors: Dean’s List

Published Works

   
• Murtagh v Beachy, 6 A.D. 3d 786, 2004
   
• Coole-Mahew v Timm, 18 A.D. 3d 948, 2005
   
• Grant v. Nembhard, 94 A.D. 3d 1397

Professional Associations and Memberships

   
• American Bar Association, Member, 1998-Present
   
• American Association of Justice, Member, 2006-Present
   
• New York Bar Association, Member, 1997-Present
   
• American Association of Justice
   
• New York State Trial Lawyers, Member, 1999-2009
   
• Ulster County Bar Association, Member
   
• Ulster County Defense Bar, Member, 1999 – Present
   
• New York State Judicial Screening Committees, Member
   
• Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America, Member

Past Employment Positions

   
• National Football League, Law Clerk, 1995-1997
   
• Curran, Gruner & O’Connor, Attorney, 1997-1997
   
• Law Office of Joseph E. O’Connor, Attorney, 1998-2000
   
• Mainetti, Mainetti & O’Connor, P.C., Attorney, 2000-2018

Prior Volunteer Work

   
• Make a Wish of the Hudson Valley.
   
• Board of Directors – Bardavon Theater.
   
• Board of Directors – Ulster Performing Arts Center.