Jones Foster Shareholder Joanne M. O'Connor Serves on Merit Selection Panel to Consider Reappointment of Magistrate Judge in Federal District Court

Jones Foster, a commercial and private client law firm with offices in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, and Jupiter, announces that litigation shareholder Joanne M. O’Connor recently served as a member of a merit selection panel for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida to consider the reappointment of a federal magistrate judge.

Joanne was appointed by Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga to assist the panel in appraising the performance of Magistrate Judge Shaniek M. Maynard and recommend whether the court should reappoint the incumbent to a new term of office, according to a statement by the court administrator of the Southern District of Florida. Judge Maynard was sworn in as a U.S. magistrate judge for the Southern District in June 2017. She is assigned to the Fort Pierce courthouse, where she presides over federal cases from Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Okeechobee, and Highlands counties.

The Federal Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel is tasked with reviewing the incumbent’s current service as a magistrate judge and other experience; the comments from members of the bar and public; and other evidence of the incumbent’s good character, ability, and commitment to equal justice under the law, according to the court administrator.

Following the report and recommendation by the merit selection, Judge Maynard was reappointed to a new eight-year term by the district judges of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Joanne was previously appointed by then Chief U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore to serve on a federal magistrate judge merit selection panel from December 2016 to May 2017. In addition to serving on court-appointed panels, Joanne currently serves as vice chair of The Florida Bar’s Federal Court Practice Committee. She is a past president of the Federal Bar Association Palm Beach Chapter.

Joanne O’Connor is a Florida Bar Board Certified Business Litigation attorney who represents businesses and individuals in complex commercial litigation matters such as contracts, business torts, and partnership and corporate disputes, and real estate and land use litigation. Joanne defends actions seeking certification of nationwide and statewide classes, including consumer claims brought under the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Her extensive experience as a litigator positions her as a powerful advocate for her clients in jury and non-jury trials and appeals in state and federal courts and before private arbitration panels. She also provides expert testimony to state and federal courts on the reasonableness and amount of attorneys’ fees and costs due to prevailing parties.

Among her other roles, Joanne serves as Town Attorney for the Town of Palm Beach where she counsels the Town, its officials, and staff on a wide range of legal issues including contracts, land use and zoning, ordinances, and regulations, and oversees the Town’s litigation. She also counsels other governmental entities on statutory, constitutional, and civil rights claims and both governmental and private entities on Florida’s Public Records Act and Sunshine Law.