Daniel V. O’Connor
President / Founder
Chicago personal injury attorney Dan O’Connor is a founding partner of O’Connor & Nakos.
Dan competitively approaches his legal work, pursuing every advantage for his clients. Dan enjoys stepping into the ring to fight on behalf of his clients. Dan knows when injured victims or their family entrust their future to him, that he truly makes a difference in ensuring their future is secure.
Dan has argued as Counsel for the Plaintiff in courtrooms all across Illinois. He has litigated cases before the Illinois Supreme Court, several Appellate Courts in various jurisdictions and in the Federal Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Dan has lectured over the years on various litigation topics to peer trial attorneys.
Dan has also earned numerous prestigious awards for his exceptional client representation, consistently being recognized for his dedication, strategic advocacy, and outstanding results in high-stakes matters. Dan has been awarded as the Nation’s Top One Percent of Attorneys by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel and as one of the Top Attorneys in America.
A devoted family man, Dan and his wife Meredith are the proud parents of their five children: Grace, Danny, Liam, Owen and Brendan.
During Dan’s career, he has won over $350 million in verdicts and settlements.
Here are some of Dan’s results:
$21,000,000
Settlement for an ironworker who lost his arm in a construction elevator accident.
$20,967,000
Verdict for a construction negligence case involving an ironworker whose arm was amputated and surgically re-attached.
$18,500,000
Settlement for an ironworker with a lower-leg injury as a result of a wall collapse.
$13,000,000
Settlement at trial for an ironworker who was injured by a piece of sheet metal on a construction site.
$11,287,500
Settlement for a sheet metal worker paralyzed when falling construction materials struck him at the waist.
$10,000,000
Settlement for an ironworker with a facial injury.
$7,120,000
Settlement for a female crane oiler who suffered the amputation of her arm.
$6,700,000
Settlement in the wrongful death of an ironworker due to construction negligence.
$6,250,000
Settlement for an ironworker injured in an auto collision.
$5,300,000
Settlement for an ironworker who sustained a hand injury on a construction site.
$5,100,000
Settlement for an ironworker with an electrical injury.
$5,000,000
Settlement in wrongful death of an ironworker due to an electrocution.
$5,000,000
Settlement for a carpenter who fell at work.
$5,000,000
Settlement, the full limits of insurance, for a victim electrocuted at a construction site.
$5,000,000
Settlement for an ironworker who had a beam roll over his leg.
$4,775,000
Settlement for an ironworker who tripped and fell on a job site.
$4,750,000
Settlement for a laborer who was struck by a construction vehicle.
$4,000,000
Settlement for an ironworker rear-ended in an automobile accident.
$3,750,000
Settlement for a police-shooting case.
$3,295,000
Settlement for an ironworker who fell on a flatbed truck while unloading steel.
$3,250,000
Settlement for an automobile accident.
$3,090,000
Verdict for a painter who fractured his wrist falling from a scaffold.
$20,000,000
Federal Court trial resulting in $20M for two injured construction workers.
$3,066,000
Verdict for a 911-call case.
Awards & Recognitions
Dan has been recognized by the Chicago Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer Magazine for consistently obtaining top settlements and verdicts. Dan’s cases include matters of wrongful death, electrocution, construction negligence, products liability, medical and auto negligence, and sexual harassment.
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Top 5% of Attorneys in Illinois.
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Education:
Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Chicago, Illinois 1992
Juris Doctor
President – Student Bar Association, 1991-1992
Loyola University of Chicago, 1989 Bachelor of Science in Biology
Classes/Seminars Taught:
Lecturer, Areas of Pre-Trial Litigation, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
“When you read Dan’s nominator’s comments, it is easy to understand how he achieves these results. Without exception, they all said he is a hard-working, tireless advocate for his clients’ interests, while never being uncivil toward a fellow attorney. His word is his bond. He is fair in all working relationships. A nominator added, ‘Despite the general adversarial nature of personal injury practice, Mr. O’Connor is unfailingly courteous, considerate of others, and fair in his working relationships. One rarely finds such an extraordinary combination of talent, good humor, genuine ability, and expertise, in someone so young.’ And another nominator said, ‘I was introduced to Dan five years ago when he was on the opposing side of a personal injury suit. Throughout the handling of the litigation, Dan exhibited a myriad of traits and qualities which clearly support the success he has achieved in the practice of law. Concisely stated, my response to encountering him on subsequent lawsuits was simple: Oh no!’”
— The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Chicago’s 40 Under 40 Magazine.