Jones Foster Shareholder Joanne M. O'Connor Installed as Vice President of PBC FAWL Board of Directors

Jones Foster, a commercial and private client law firm in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, and Jupiter, announces that shareholder Joanne M. O’Connor has been installed as Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers Palm Beach County Chapter (PBC FAWL).

As Vice President for the 2026-2027 term, Ms. O’Connor will help lead the organization’s strategic initiatives, support member engagement, and advance its mission of promoting gender equality and the leadership of women in the legal profession. She will also collaborate with the chapter’s executive board on mentorship initiatives, community outreach, programming, and networking opportunities for attorneys and members of the judiciary throughout Palm Beach County.

Ms. O’Connor has long been committed to mentoring and uplifting women in the legal community through both her involvement with PBC FAWL and broader leadership roles throughout her career. She is a past co-chair of the organization’s Justice Barbara Pariente Annual Judicial Reception, and previously served as a panelist at a Women’s History Month event hosted by the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, where she shared her views on leadership, mentorship, confidence building, and gender bias as the first female Town Attorney for the Town of Palm Beach. In addition to her service on Jones Foster’s Board of Directors, she is a member of the firm’s Associate Development Committee, Summer Associate Committee, and Board Certification Committee to support the recruitment and professional advancement of the firm’s attorneys.

Joanne O’Connor is a Florida Bar Board Certified Business Litigation attorney who represents businesses and individuals in complex commercial litigation, including contracts, business torts, and partnership and corporate disputes, and real estate and land use litigation. 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.

Ms. O’Connor 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.

She previously served as president of the Federal Bar Association Palm Beach County Chapter, chair and member of the Business Litigation Certification Committee, vice chair of The Florida Bar's Federal Court Practice Committee, and most recently on the inaugural Local Professional Panel of the 15th Judicial Circuit Court. Ms. O’Connor has been recognized in Florida Trend magazine’s Legal Elite Notable - Women Leaders in Law since its 2023 inception and is recognized consistently by The Best Lawyers in America, Florida Super Lawyers, and on Palm Beach Illustrated's Top Lawyers list.