Joanne M. O'Connor

Joanne is a shareholder with the firm who has been named among Florida's Leading Lawyers by Chambers USA, and was identified as one of South Florida's Up and Coming Attorneys by the South Florida Legal Guide for 5 years until she graduated to Top Lawyer status in 2009.  She practices in the areas of complex commercial litigation, business torts, products liability, lawyer and law firm defense and constitutional law.  Since joining Jones Foster in 2001, she has litigated a broad range of matters at all levels from arbitration and trials through appeals.  Joanne has particular experience successfully defending national and regional law firms against legal malpractice claims.

Joanne graduated summa cum laude from the Tulane University School of Law, where she was a Managing Editor of the Tulane Law Review and named to the Order of the Coif.  She holds a master’s degree in political science and Latin American Studies from the University of Florida.  She received her undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Duke University.  Prior to joining Jones Foster, Joanne served as a law clerk to the Honorable Sarah S. Vance of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. 

Practice Highlights

• Served as counsel to The Scripps Research Institute in establishing Scripps Florida, a new state-of-the-art scientific research institute, in Palm Beach County, Florida against a variety of legal challenges from environmental and non-profit organizations.

• Represented publicly held financial services corporation and its chairman and chief executive officer in defense of $65 million claim brought by minority shareholders of wholly owned subsidiary alleging breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, fraud and civil theft in two-week hearing before AAA arbitration panel.   

• Obtained directed verdict, affirmed on appeal, on behalf of national law firm sued for damages in excess of $20 million for alleged legal malpractice in drafting limited partnership documents.

Practice Groups
Litigation
Municipal Law
Product Liability Defense

Education
J.D., summa cum laude,
     Tulane Univ., 1999
M.A., Univ. of Florida, 1996
A.B., cum laude, Duke Univ., 1992

Bar Admissions

The Florida Bar
American Bar Association
Palm Beach County Bar Association

Court Admissions
All Florida State Courts

U.S. Court of Appeals for the
     11th Circuit
U.S. District Courts for the Southern,
    Middle and Northern Districts
    of Florida