Thomas Martin O'Connor

Thomas M. O'Connor, a founding partner at O'Connor, Runckel & O'Malley LLP, concentrates his practice on Criminal Defense and Personal Injury. He frequently litigates personal injury and wrongful death cases while defending clients in a range of misdemeanor and felony matters.

A 5th generation San Francisco native, Mr. O'Connor hails from a family of esteemed attorneys. His grandfather, also named Thomas Martin O'Connor, served as City Attorney of San Francisco from 1961 to 1977. His great-grandfather was a renowned criminal lawyer in the city, and his cousin, Thomas Lynch, was both District Attorney of San Francisco and a three-term California State Attorney General.

Mr. O'Connor graduated from St. Ignatius High School in 1986 and attended St. Mary's College on a football scholarship, earning a degree in Political Science with a minor in Business Administration in 1990. He graduated near the top of his class from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1994.

From 1994 to 2006, Mr. O'Connor served as a Deputy District Attorney in the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office. During his tenure, he prosecuted thousands of cases, including over 100 jury trials, and worked on complex cases such as special circumstance homicides. His assignments included specialized units like Homicide, Domestic Violence, Serious Juvenile Offenders, Felony Filing, and Felony Crimes.

Mr. O'Connor has negotiated the resolution of thousands of cases and has reviewed numerous cases for potential criminal charges, providing him with valuable insights into case strengths and weaknesses. This expertise is crucial in the investigation, litigation, and negotiation of both civil and criminal cases.

He has managed high-profile murder cases and is well-versed in complex legal issues, including DNA analysis, ballistics, thermal imaging, wiretaps, GPS tracking, and psychological defenses. Additionally, Mr. O'Connor is skilled in handling media relations in high-profile cases.

After his 12-year prosecutorial career, Mr. O'Connor became the chief legal officer for a private corporation, where he managed regulatory, securities, litigation, commercial transactions, and general business litigation.