John M. McConnell
Partner
John M. McConnell, a leader in the firm’s General Liability and Business and Commercial groups, is a trusted counselor to Fortune 500 companies and other publically traded corporations, renowned for his record of success in high-stakes litigation and his acumen in motion practice and trial advocacy. John’s clients include major banking and financial services companies, government entities, hospitality companies, large national real estate development and management companies, construction companies, product manufacturers, and publicly traded retailers. Clients turn to John for his aggressive and frequently novel use of motion practice to dismiss claims and favorably resolve disputes without protracted litigation—particularly valuable to large national companies with complex risk-management demands and sensitivity to litigation spending.
Industries
Experience Highlights
John has over a decade of experience defending clients in high-stakes litigation, including general liability, premises liability, negligent security, automobile, products liability, and wrongful death claims.
Representative Matters
- Obtained a dismissal based on the Tort Claims Act and statute of limitations on behalf of a government planning and zoning authority in a wrongful death action.
- Successfully defended a Fortune 500 company and employee in a false-arrest matter. The plaintiff brought suit claiming that the employee filed a false police report against him. The defense demonstrated that the conduct of the employee was protected by the shopkeeper’s privilege.
- Successfully defended a Fortune 500 retailer in a premises liability matter. The plaintiff brought suit for property damage and lost earnings claiming the defendant’s employees were negligent. At a bench trial, the defense proved that the defendant’s employees did follow store protocol and were not negligent.
- Successfully defended an individual driver and business owner following a motor vehicle accident. The plaintiff brought suit claiming the defendant-employee driver was negligent. At a bench trial, the defense proved that the employee did not negligently operate his motor vehicle.
- Obtained a Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) dismissal of an executor’s wrongful death claim in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey where the plaintiff-executor failed to allege sufficient factual predicates to support a causal connection between the decedent’s claimed personal injuries and subsequent death.
Large financial services, real estate, and development companies as well as government entities entrust John with complex commercial matters. He regularly employs aggressive and creative motion practice and trial technique to resolve breach of contract claims, as well as complex contractual and insurance issues.
Representative Matters
- Using aggressive demands for evidence and an early motion to dismiss, John successfully defended a Fortune 500 financial services company facing claims related to alleged improper removal and destruction of property.
- Secured summary judgment and dismissal in a complex contractual matter involving waiver and indemnity provisions and injury claims related to alleged defects in a property subject to sale.
Honors & Awards
Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating: AV Preeminent
New Jersey Super Lawyers, Rising Stars, 2015–21 (Thomson Reuters)
View peer-review methodologies at superlawyers.com. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey
Admissions
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Education
- Villanova University School of Law, J.D., 2006
- Trial Competition Team
- Student Government
- Loyola University, B.B.A., summa cum laude, 2003
- Loyola Medal of Merit
- Loyola Senior Athlete Scholars Award
- Division I Men’s Tennis:
- Athletics Hall of Fame, 2020
- Captain, 2001–03; all-time leader in singles and doubles victories; received Most Valuable Player and Most Dedicated Player awards each season
Community Involvement
- Loyola University Board of Directors, Philadelphia Alumni Chapter: Member, 2011 to present
- Beta Gamma Sigma (National Academic Honor Society), Philadelphia Chapter
- Council Rock Newtown Baseball Coach 2018 to present
- Council Rock Soccer Association Coach, 2016 to present
Training and Certifications
- Department of Labor OSHA-10 Construction Training
Publications & Events
- “NJ Storm Ruling Provides Needed Clarity for Property Owners,” (Co-Author), Law360, June 25, 2021
- “NJ Ruling Heightens Landowners’ Winter Storm Liability Risk” (Co-Author), Law360, October 26, 2020
- Mentioned in “Fear of Technology is No Excuse for Avoiding Remote Deposition, Court Says: Litigation Trends,” eDiscovery Today, June 24, 2020
- Featured in “Judge Nixes Technophobic Litigant’s Attempt to Avoid Remote Deposition,” New Jersey Law Journal, June 10, 2020
- Mentioned in “Martindale-Hubbell Congratulates Our New AV Preeminent Peer Rated Attorneys,” Martindale-Hubbell, September 24, 2018
- “Discussion of Removal Issues Arising From Arbitration Cases” (co-author), The Legal Intelligencer, Vol. 274, No. 71, April 12, 2013
- “Court Chews Tenant Up; Spits Landlord Out,” Defense Digest, December 2008
- “The Ten Secrets to Commercial and General Liability: in 60 Minutes or Less,” Plano, TX, October 21, 2019
- “Strategies for Defending General Liability Claims,” Carlsbad, CA, March 1, 2017
- “Defending Construction Accident Cases” (Co-Presenter), Handling a Construction Accident Case, New Jersey Association for Justice, Edison, NJ, February 25, 2017
- “Overview of General Liability and Contractual Liability Principles in New Jersey and New York,” Dallas, TX, March 4, 2016