Attorney
O'Connor Law PLLC
Larchmont, New York, 10538
After earning her BS from SUNY Albany and her MS from the College of Mount St. Vincent, Mary Ellen became a K-2 teacher. She soon discovered that many of her young students with learning disabilities could not access the services they needed to succeed in the classroom.
Their parents either didn’t know about the resources available or struggled to navigate the required legal red tape. Mary Ellen initially hoped that earning her law degree from CUNY School of Law would allow her to advocate more effectively for children with special needs. Life took an unexpected turn, however. Although Mary Ellen entered law school intending to focus on special education law, she soon became frustrated with the system's ineffectiveness and how it was being manipulated by the wealthy to provide extra advantages for their children. After an extended period of soul-searching, she channeled her desire to help others into a focus on workers’ compensation benefits law and Social Security disability law.
Handling NYC’s Workers’ Compensation and Social Security Disability Cases Hudson Valley Magazine Names Mary Ellen O'Connor Top Lawyer 2021When you’re dealing with the effects of an on-the-job injury or a disabling medical condition, it’s hard to know where to turn—especially if you’ve never needed to hire an attorney in the past. Mary Ellen learned about this anxiety firsthand when her husband suffered a serious on-the-job injury while she was a law student with three young children at home. He was eventually able to access his workers’ compensation benefits, but they were without an income for nearly six months and worried about how to make ends meet. At O’Connor Law PLLC, Mary Ellen strives to put a client’s mind at rest from the very first meeting or telephone call. She draws on her background as a teacher to explain complex concepts without the confusing legal jargon other attorneys use and empower clients to take control of their situation by fully understanding their legal rights. An expert litigator who trained new attorneys and lectured extensively before starting her own practice in 2009, Mary Ellen is respected throughout the industry for her knowledge of workers’ compensation and Social Security disability law as well as her commitment to going the extra mile for clients. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Injured Workers Bar Association and the Workers’ Compensation Alliance. Mary Ellen’s belief in the importance of lifelong learning means she’s always researching new strategies and techniques that can be used to help her clients get the benefits they deserve—making her both a compassionate advocate and a formidable adversary.
Life Outside of Workers Comp and SSD Mary Ellen is the youngest of eight children. Her father was a practicing attorney until he was 89, handling everything from criminal defense to car accident and personal injury cases. Although she doesn’t share her father’s love of camping, Mary Ellen enjoys taking extended weekend vacations with her husband to visit their adult children and experience different US cities. Charleston, New Orleans, and Miami are a few of her favorite places to visit.
Mary Ellen is an avid reader who aims to complete three to four books per month. Preferring a mix of fiction and non-fiction, Mary Ellen enjoys biographies of notable people throughout history as well as the occasional guilty pleasure chick lit title. Mary Ellen volunteers at Homes for the Brave, a non-profit with a mission of providing Veterans and others experiencing homelessness with housing and social services.
