Joanne O’Connor is a Florida Bar Board Certified specialist in Business Litigation who focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation including contracts and business torts, partnership and corporate disputes, civil RICO, real estate and land use litigation, and lawyer and law firm defense. Joanne has experience defending actions seeking certification of nationwide and statewide classes, including consumer claims brought under the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). She counsels governmental entities on statutory, constitutional and civil rights claims and both governmental and private entities on Florida’s Public Records Act and Sunshine Law. Joanne is an experienced litigator who advocates for her clients in jury and non-jury trials and appeals in state and federal courts and before private arbitration panels.
Joanne currently holds several notable leadership positions and is actively involved in the legal community. She was appointed Defendants’ Liaison Counsel by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in the federal multidistrict litigation alleging personal injury relating to the medication Zantac, In re Zantac (Ranitidine) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2924. Joanne is the Past President of the Federal Bar Association Palm Beach County Chapter, a voluntary bar organization that serves as the catalyst for communication between the federal bar and bench. She also serves on the West Palm Beach Federal Courthouse Committee, organized to address the Southern District of Florida's facilities in Palm Beach County.
Joanne has been listed among Florida’s Leading Lawyers in the area of Litigation by Chambers USA, one of the oldest and most prestigious legal listings in the world. She is recognized consistently by Best Lawyers in America and Florida Super Lawyers and holds an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, awarded to only those lawyers with the highest ethical standards and legal ability.
Before joining Jones Foster, Joanne served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Sarah S. Vance, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
