Mr. O’Connell practices in the area of labor and employment law. He regularly counsels clients with respect to day-to-day personnel issues, including disciplinary, performance, and termination decisions; wage and hour compliance; and Family and Medical Leave Act compliance.
In addition to his counseling experience, over his career, Mr. O’Connell has litigated cases involving a wide variety of employment-based claims, including claims alleging violations of the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, retaliation claims brought under various employment law statutes, and defamation claims brought in the employment context. He also assists clients in connection with responding to charges of discrimination filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Florida Commission on Human Relations, the Virginia Division of Human Rights, and the D.C. Office of Human Rights. Mr. O'Connell also has experience responding to claims asserted under the Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) filed with the Department of Labor, Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS).
In addition to his traditional employment law experience, Mr. O’Connell’s background includes representing employers in cases involving alleged trade secret violations, the enforcement of non-solicitation agreements, and claims involving the alleged breach of employee fiduciary duties. Applying this litigation experience, Mr. O’Connell prepares non-solicitation, confidentiality, and trade secret agreements on behalf of Florida, Virginia, and D.C. employers.
Mr. O’Connell has experience relating to various labor and employment laws applicable to government contractors, including the McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), the Davis-Bacon Act, E-Verify, and compliance with the affirmative action requirements of Executive Order 11246.
Education and Background
Mr. O'Connell earned his undergraduate degree and law degree, cum laude, from the University of Florida.
He joined the Firm in 2013 after working for eight years for a large international firm in the Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. area, where he was a senior associate in its labor, employment, and benefits practice group.
J. O'Connell V-Card |