Joseph E. O'Connor | Personal Injury Lawyer

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 1997. 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 and Top 10 Lawyer in Upstate New York in 2024. 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)

$31,000,000.00 Co-Lead Counsel Settlement of Food Poisoning Class Action
$16,000,000.00 Settlement for a Hudson Valley accident.
$7,770,000.00 Settlement for a construction worker for injuries he sustained at the workplace.
$7,000,000.00 Settlement for injured infant.
$6,000,000.00 Settlement for injuries that resulted from a defective car.
$5,900,000.00 Settlement for a construction worker for injuries he sustained at the workplace.
$5,900,000.00 Settlement for a construction worker for injuries he sustained at the workplace.
$5,000,000.00 Settlement for injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.
$4,900,00.00 Settlement for product liability resulting in severe burns.
$2,917,000.04 Settlement for injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident.
$2,655,000.00 Settlement for injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident.
$2,500,000.00 Settlement for injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.
$2,250,000.00 Settlement for injured pedestrian.
$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.
$1,065,000.00 Settlement for drug rehab assault.
$1,250,000.00 Settlement for clergy abuse
$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.