Curriculum Vitae
Education:
Northwestern University School of LawJ.D.
Bar Admissions:
Supreme Court of Illinois,Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Professional:
- - Present
Full-Time Private Mediation Practice - -
Private Mediation Practice and
University of Illinois Special Counsel - Medical Negligence - -
Chief Judge and additionally assigned to the Law Division, Circuit Court of Cook County - -
Presiding Judge of the Law Division, Circuit Court of Cook County - -
Presiding Judge of the First Municipal District and additionally assigned to the Law Division, Circuit Court of Cook County - -
Assigned to the Law Division as a motion and jury trial judge, Circuit Court of Cook County
Mediation Training:
Judge O'Connell received his mediation training at the National Judicial College.Mediation Experience:
- In addition to administrative responsibilities, maintained active Law Division individual motion and mediation calendars of catastrophic injury and commercial cases while also hearing regular Law Division motion calls or trials during entire 22 year tenure as a Circuit Judge.
- Successfully conducted voluntary judicial mediation conferences in complex multiple party wrongful death and catastrophic injury products liability, construction, medical malpractice, aviation, railroad and other negligence cases as well as commercial litigation.
- Significant experience in mediating multiple injury/wrongful death occurrences such as airplane crashes, explosions and construction site collapses.
- Since successfully conducted private mediations in catastrophic injury, wrongful death and commercial cases.
Special Mediation Recognition:
- Recognized by the Chicago Lawyer Magazine in the "Annual Personal Injury Settlements" edition for consecutive years as the leading judge in the State of Illinois for the most settlements of significant injury and wrongful death cases.
- Recognized by the Leading Lawyers Network for ADR: Commercial.
- In Judge O'Connell was selected by LawDragon as one of the "LawDragon 500" leading public and private judges in America.