Michael J. O’Connor

Michael is a board certified commercial and consumer bankruptcy specialist (American Bankruptcy Board of Certification). He is admitted to the New York State Bar, as well as the United States District Court for the Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. His concentration of practice is in the representation of debtors and trustees in bankruptcy liquidations and reorganizations.

Michael is the recipient of the President's Award for Pro Bono services, New York State Bar Association (1989, 1993 and 2007), and the Distinguished Service Award from the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York (1989). He is also a member of the Empire Counsel Group of the New York State Bar Association. Michael is also the recipient of the 2007 Distinguished Counsel Award from the United State District Court for the Northern District of New York and the Federal Bar Association for providing pro bono services. In 2021 Michael received The Legal Project's Champion Award for promoting the goal of access to justice for all. He has lectured frequently on bankruptcy issues for the New York State Bar Association, National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees, and other regional and national bar associations.

Michael is a Chapter 7 Trustee and was appointed to the Chapter 7 Trustee Panel for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of New York in 1986. He served on the Local Rules Revision Committee for the Northern District of New York (1993, 1998, and 2000) and was Chairman of the Judicial Merit Selection Committee for the Northern District of New York (1994). Michael is a contributing editor for the West Bankruptcy Exemption Manual (2003-present). He is a member, past president, and past director of the Capital Region Bankruptcy Bar Association, as well as a member of the American Bar Association, Consumer Bankruptcy Committee and the New York State Bar Association Bankruptcy Committee. He is a member of the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees and Associate Member of the National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees, and the American Bankruptcy Institute.