The 41-year-old Republican is expected to focus on “multi-jurisdictional commercial litigation matters, including those related to corporate restructuring,” for Fortune 500 companies and private investment funds.
O’Connor is slated to start work at the firm’s Hartford, Connecticut office on February 2nd.
“Having served as the associate attorney general under Ronald Reagan, I am well aware of the challenges Kevin has faced in the same position, and I am extremely pleased that he brings that experience with him to Bracewell,” firm name partner and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani said.
O’Connor’s return to private practice comes after a five-year stint as US attorney for Connecticut, which ended with his appointment two years ago as chief of staff to former US Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. Some of the disgraced Gonzales’ staffers have had trouble transitioning to the private sector.
O’Connor holds a law degree from the University of Connecticut. His name continues to be mentioned as a possible candidate for elective office, with one prominent criminal defense lawyer dubbing him, “the golden boy of the Connecticut Republican Party.” He lost a bid for state senate in 1998, by 17 points.
Bracewell & Giuliani employs more than 400 lawyers at offices in Texas, New York, Washington, DC, and Connecticut as well as in Dubai, Kazakhstan, and London.