Robert E. O’Connor

Robert “Bobby” O’Connor is Montgomery McCracken’s New York Office Co-Managing Partner. He is a member of the Firm’s Litigation Department and co-chair of the Maritime and Transportation Industry Group. He represents commercial and individual clients in all aspects of civil litigation, including trials and appeals, in federal and state courts as well as in agency proceedings and private arbitration.

Bobby’s primary practice is counseling international and domestic maritime industry clients like owners, operators, and charterers of vessels and their insurers. He has defended high-profile claims of cargo loss and damage arising from major marine casualties such as explosions, fires, collisions, allisions, groundings, and heavy weather incidents pursuant to the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act and the Shipowners’ Limitation of Liability Act. He has handled numerous environmental matters relating to oil pollution, coral damage, and emissions violations under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, and MARPOL. He was also lead maritime counsel to one of the world’s largest marine fuel traders in its bankruptcy proceedings and related litigation during which he appeared in federal courts throughout the United States, several foreign courts and arbitration tribunals, and the United States Supreme Court.

Bobby has additional maritime experience conducting onboard investigations of personal injury and cargo damage claims, arbitrating charter party and bunker disputes, attaching and arresting vessels and other property as security, drafting documents for the sale and purchase of vessels, and advising shippers and carriers about customs regulations. He provides pro bono legal assistance to mariners during suspension and revocation proceedings before the United States Coast Guard.  He was pro bono general counsel to the American Caribbean Maritime Foundation.

As a general commercial litigator and advisor, Bobby has handled a variety of contract and license disputes, enforced arbitration awards and foreign judgments, represented creditors in bankruptcy proceedings, defended complex civil RICO claims, acted as local counsel in New York federal courts, taken discovery in the US in aid of foreign proceedings under 28 U.S.C. § 1782, given expert opinions on US and New York law in support of foreign litigation, and counseled businesses on many general matters such as the formation of corporations and partnerships, negotiation of agreements, and drafting of standard terms and conditions.

Before joining Montgomery McCracken, Bobby was an attorney with Chalos O’Connor LLP. Previously, he was a research associate with an environmental economics consulting firm where he conducted natural resource damage assessments.

Bobby earned his J.D. degree from St. John's University School of Law, where he served as president of the Joseph A. Calamari Admiralty Law Society, editor-in-chief of The Admiralty Practicum, and vice president of the Student Bar Association. He earned his B.A. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.