James R. O’Connor, Esq. is a labor and employment law associate in Tully Rinckey PLLC’s Buffalo office, where he focuses his practice on representing clients in federal and private sector employment law claims, including claims involving the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), New York Labor Law, New York Executive Law and Qui Tam claims.
Prior to joining Tully Rinckey PLLC, James was a Court Assistant for the New York State Unified Court System in Olean, N.Y., where he clerked for Support Magistrate Schavon Morgan, managed the support calendar to comply with standards and goals and processed petitions for custody and support. He also drafted orders of support, orders of protection, and temporary custody orders.
James was previously an associate attorney at Morris Duffy Alonso & Faley in New York, N.Y., where he successfully defended municipalities against claims of civil rights violations and negligence, took and defended depositions and attended pretrial appearances and hearings. He also drafted well-written pleadings, discovery demands, and motions and engaged in settlement negotiations. He served as a volunteer confidential law clerk to esteemed New York State Court of Appeals Justice Eugene M. Fahey and the Honorable William M. Skretny of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.
James obtained degrees from University of Detroit Mercy, summa cum laude, and Hofstra University Maurice A. Deane School of Law, where he was a staff member and the Senior Notes and Comments Editor for the Hofstra Law Review.
