Education:
Northwestern University School of Law
J.D. 1968

Bar Admissions:
Supreme Court of Illinois, 1968
Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Professional:
September, 2004 - Present 

Full-Time Private Mediation Practice

August, 2001 - September, 2004
Private Mediation Practice and

University of Illinois                         
Special Counsel - Medical Negligence

December, 1994 - August, 2001
Chief Judge and additionally assigned to the   
Law Division, Circuit Court of Cook County

December, 1990 - December, 1994
Presiding Judge of the Law Division,     
Circuit Court of Cook County

June, 1984 - December, 1990
Presiding Judge of the First Municipal   
District and additionally assigned to the
Law Division, Circuit Court of Cook County

December, 1978 - June, 1984
Assigned to the Law Division as a motion and   
jury trial judge, Circuit Court of Cook County

Mediation Training:
Judge O'Connell received his mediation training at the National Judicial College.

Mediation Experience:
In addition to administrative responsibilities, maintained active Law Division individual motion and mediation calendars of

catastrophic injury and commercial cases while also hearing regular Law Division motion calls or trials during entire 22

year tenure as a Circuit Judge.

Successfully conducted voluntary judicial mediation conferences in complex multiple party wrongful death and

catastrophic injury products liability, construction, medical malpractice, aviation, railroad and other negligence cases as

well as commercial litigation.

Significant experience in mediating multiple injury/wrongful death occurrences such as airplane crashes, explosions and

construction site collapses.

Since August 1, 2001 successfully conducted private mediations in catastrophic injury, wrongful death and commercial

cases.

Special Mediation Recognition:
Recognized by the Chicago Lawyer Magazine in the "Annual Personal Injury Settlements" edition for consecutive years

as the leading judge in the State of Illinois for the most settlements of significant injury and wrongful death cases.
Recognized by the Leading Lawyers Network for ADR: Commercial.

In 2006 Judge O'Connell was selected by LawDragon as one of the "LawDragon 500" leading public and private judges in America.