Biography

Barbara A. O’Connell is a partner in the Philadelphia and New Jersey offices defending Fortune 500 self-insured clients and national and regional insured clients in civil cases. She was co-lead defense counsel in John Doe v. Kohn, Nast & Graf, a highly publicized Americans With Disabilities Act case brought by an HIV positive lawyer (similar to the claim depicted in the movie, Philadelphia).This required management of national media and briefing and arguing legal issues of first impression. She was a member of a national defense team in silicone-gel breast implant cases for a major chemical manufacturer and prevailed on Motions to Dismiss all Pennsylvania cases. She has served as monitoring counsel on excess exposure cases for a major Boston-based insurance carrier.

Ms. O’Connell’s employment law practice has focused on defending employers in all types of litigation. Ms. O’Connell is a past Chair of the DRI Employment Law Committee. She has published and lectured on employment law topics for DRI and other professional organizations and clients throughout the country.

Ms. O’Connell also represents lawyers, medical professionals, brokers, and accountants, among others, in professional liability cases. She has defended lawyers accused of negligence in handling general liability, products liability, employment, domestic relations and many other types of cases. She resolved 150 malpractice claims filed against a single dentist.