Education:
University of Michigan, A.B., University of Detroit, J.D., summa cum laude, 1985
Practice Areas:
Appellate; Bankruptcy; Municipal; Employment; Professional Liability Defense; Consumer Bankruptcy
Membership:
State Bar of Michigan (Member of: Appellate Practice and Public Corporation Sections); American Bar Association (Member of: Litigation Section and Appellate Practice Committee); Oakland County Bar Association
Admissions:
1985, Michigan and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan; 1993, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; 1995, U.S. Supreme Court
Biography:
Julie McCann O’Connor, a shareholder and founding member of O’Connor, DeGrazia, Tamm & O’Connor, P.C., specializes in appellate law. Ms. O’Connor has acted as lead counsel in hundreds of appeals in state and federal appellate courts, for both public and private sector clients on issues as diverse as civil rights, excessive force claims against police officers and employment discrimination claims, to commercial insurance coverage and indemnity actions.
Ms. O’Connor has represented physicians and hospitals in appeals involving a variety of issues, including the constitutionality of tort reform legislation capping non-economic damage awards. She has represented attorneys in claims involving business transactions, real estate, securities and medical malpractice claims.
Ms. O’Connor graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in history and political science.
www.umich.edu. In 1985 she received her law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy, graduating summa cum laude.
www.law.udmercy.edu. She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan
www.michbar.org, the American Bar Association
www.abanet.org and the Oakland County Bar Association
www.ocba.org.
In 2007 and 2008, Ms. O’Connor was named a Michigan Super Lawyer in appellate practice, in Michigan Super Lawyers, a publication of Law & Politics Magazine.
www.superlawyers.com/michigan. She has received Martindale-Hubbell’s highest AV rating, used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies.
www.martindale.com.
In 2008, Ms. O’Connor was named a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, a national honorary society for trial and appellate lawyers, composed of fewer than one-half of one percent of lawyers nationally.
www.trialcounsel.org
Recent notable cases include:
•
Koulta v Merciez, 477 F3rd 442 (6th Cir 2007). Successfully represented police officers in claim alleging that officers violated
the civil rights of a motorist who was killed when his car was struck by a third party. The officers’ actions did not violate the deceased motorist’s constitutional rights because the constitution does not
generally require state actors to protect citizens from acts of violence by third parties.
•
Barnett v Hidalgo, 478 Mich 151 (2007). Successfully argued that affidavits of merit were admissions by a party opponent, were not hearsay and thus were admissible as prior
inconsistent statements to impeach an expert’s testimony.
•
Holman v Rasak, 281 Mich App 507 (2008). Represented a physician in an appeal regarding the privacy protections of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Successfully argued that defense counsel may conduct ex-parte interviews with a plaintiff’s treating physician consistent with HIPAA and that such interviews are permitted under the statute with a protective order in place.