Thomas M. O'Connell

Associate

Thomas O’Connell’s practice broadly encompasses all aspects and stages of litigation for both private and public clients in a variety of settings. As an associate in Best Best & Krieger LLP’s Business Services, Labor & Employment, and Municipal practice groups, Tom handles a wide range of cases, all while providing his clients with cost-effective and results-oriented services.

Prior to joining BB&K, Tom was an attorney based in the Washington, D.C. area. Practicing in jurisdictions up and down the East Coast, Tom’s cases ranged from short, simple litigation between employers and employees to seemingly interminable, complex litigation between multi-national corporations and the United States government.

After earning his bachelor’s degree and graduating with honors from the University of Southern California, Tom joined Teach for America and taught in South Central Los Angeles. Based on his and his students’ accomplishments during his tenure, Tom was named regional finalist for National Teacher of the Year (Sue Lehman Award). Following Teach for America, Tom obtained his law degree and graduated with honors from Georgetown Law School.

Since returning to California, Tom has been involved in local professional and community organizations, including the Hesperia Chamber of Commerce, Teach for America, and the San Bernardino Associated Governments Community Advisory Group.

Tom is originally from Peachtree City, GA. Prior to college, he founded a golf store and competed in numerous amateur and professional golf tournaments. Tom still enjoys playing golf in his free time.

Representative Matters

• Business Litigation: Successfully defended against a $10 million breach of non-competition agreement claim and successfully pursued a $10 million counter-claim in an action regarding the parties’ competing responses to a government entity’s request for proposal.
• Construction Litigation: Successfully defended against a $750,000 breach of contract claim for damages allegedly resulting from a subcontractor’s delay of a multi-million dollar development and successfully pursued a $650,000 quantum meruit counter-claim for the general contractor’s failure to pay the subcontractor for work the subcontractor performed.
• Corporate Litigation: Successfully represented a shareholder of a national developer against his fellow shareholders in an action seeking $50 million for breach of contract, breach of good faith and fair dealing, breach of fiduciary duty, and tortious interference with contract.
• Employment Litigation: Defending four of more than 20 franchisees involved in a multi-state action initiated by a national labor union for the franchisees’ allegedly unlawful labor practices.

• Real Estate Litigation: Successfully represented a developer in in an action seeking, among other things, approximately $5.5 million and the grant of an undivided property interest necessary to build a mixed-use development adjacent to a metro line.
• Surety Litigation: Successfully represented a surety and general contractor in an action seeking approximately $5 million and reversal of a branch of the U.S. government’s decision to terminate the contractor for cause.

Education

• Georgetown University, J.D., Journal on Poverty Law and Policy
• University of Southern California, B.A., Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society
• Loyola Marymount University, M.Ed., Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education

Bar Admissions

• California
• District of Columbia
• Maryland
• Virginia

Court Admissions

• United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
• United States District Court, Central District of California
• United States District Court, Eastern District of California
• United States District Court, Northern District of Florida
• United States District Court, District of Maryland
• United States District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia