News Items
Susan O'Connor, Trustee of NJWLA
08.31.2006Congratulations to our partner, Susan O'Connor, on her latest appointment as a Trustee of Middlesex County for the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association. (NJWLA)
The NJWLA was formed in 1981, with the purpose and mission to engage in statewide efforts to support and promote its members to the highest levels of law firm, government, academic, community, corporate positions and the judiciary; to endorse qualified female attorneys for appointments to the state and federal judiciary and to foster leadership among its members. The Association carries out its mission through hosting professional activities, mentoring, educational programs, networking functions - promoting visibility of its membership. NJWLA also provides a voice for its members through local, state and federal legislative bodies, advises the membership on developments affecting the legal status of women and maintains close liaison with other Bar Associations, the judiciary and state or national organizations which address and promote issues important to women in the profession.
At Hoagland Longo Moran Dunst & Doukas, Ms. O'Connor is Chair of the Title 59 & Employment Law Practice Groups. She has developed an expertise representing employers and municipalities as well as individual officers, directors, and elected officials, before state and federal agencies, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the state Division of Civil Rights. She also represents municipalities and employers in cases arising under the Law Against Discrimination, Americans with Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the state whistleblower law. She provides training designed to assist clients in conforming their workplace practices to federal and state laws, drafts or modifies existing personnel policies and performs comprehensive investigations of employee misconduct claim.
Ms. O'Connor is a member of the state Supreme Court's District VIII Ethics Committee and served as its chair from 1999-2001. She also serves on the North Hunterdon Municipal Court Committee. In September 2005, the New Jersey Law Journal chose Ms. O'Connor as one of the State's leading female lawyers. She earned this prestigious distinction based on her outstanding performance, high professional character and competency in her field.
Ms. O'Connor has also achieved an "AV" rating from other members of the legal profession. This is the highest rating awarded and it identifies a lawyer with "very high to preeminent legal ability" and is a reflection of her "expertise, experience, integrity and overall professional excellence" as published in Martindale-Hubbell.