Sarah O’Connor focuses on corporate civil and white-collar criminal litigation and government investigations, principally in matters relating to healthcare, finance and banking, director and officer liability, and professional liability. Sarah has held roles as the sole associate, senior associate, or associate team member in civil and criminal cases and investigations, representing international financial services firms, Big Four accounting firms, Fortune 50 companies, and high-profile individuals in federal and state courts across the country. Sarah leads the firm’s Generous Associates Committee, spear-heading the firm’s fundraising efforts each year in the city-wide D.C. Legal Aid Generous Associates Campaign. In 2018, Sarah was recognized, along with her fellow co-chairs of the campaign, with the D.C. Bar Association’s “Young Lawyer of the Year” award for her contributions to the record-breaking fundraising efforts of the Campaign. Sarah also has handled several pro bono matters, including first-chair representation of an individual against revocation of his parole, representation of a family in a contract dispute with a contractor, and ongoing representation of an immigrant family previously separated at the U.S. border now seeking asylum and other protections in the United States. Representative ExperienceThough all cases vary and none is predictive, Sarah’s recent experience includes:
- Successful oral argument of a complex motion to dismiss resulting in the complete dismissal with prejudice of a putative class action against one of the nation’s largest healthcare companies alleging disability discrimination, among other claims, in California federal court.
- Representation of a major medical device company in a securities class action, in which Sarah defended the depositions of a key company witness and a critical physician defense expert and led the drafting of a successful motion to dismiss certain defendants from the case.
- Sole associate in representation of one of the nation’s largest healthcare companies in multiple government investigations and related qui tam suits relating to Medicare Part D and pharmacy benefit manager operations, in which Sarah has led the drafting of multiple dispositive motions.
- Representation of a major financial firm and individual officers and directors in a long-running breach-of-fiduciary-duty suit and trial brought by liquidators alleging more than $1 billion in damages.
- Representation of one of the nation’s largest healthcare companies against drug-pricing claims in a recent putative class action, in which Sarah deposed multiple proposed class representatives and class certification was successfully opposed.
- Representation of an international businessman against RICO, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and fraud claims, at the trial level and on appeal.
- Lead associate in representation of a Big Four accounting firm and individual employee witnesses in highly publicized SEC and DOJ investigations, criminal and civil trial proceedings against other parties in the United States and abroad, and shareholder lawsuits relating to claims of fraud and securities violations by other parties, all arising from a high-profile corporate merger.
- Sole associate in representation of a credit reporting agency against a putative class action lawsuit alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, in which class certification was successfully opposed.
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