Title: Partner
Company: Holland & Knight LLP
Location: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
W. Scott O’Connell, Esq., partner at Holland & Knight LLP, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Lawyers for dedication, achievements, and leadership in legal services.
Mr. O’Connell, a respected attorney and partner at Holland & Knight LLP in Boston since 2021, has been active in the field for over 30 years. As a seasoned trial attorney, he handles complex commercial disputes. He has also become well-known for handling class action and aggregate litigation and frequently counsels health service providers involved with hundreds of millions of dollars of reimbursements owed from Medicaid, Medicare and third-party payers.
Before being acquired by Holland & Knight LLP, Mr. O’Connell was a partner at Nixon Peabody LLP, a Top 100 law firm in Boston, for over 20 years. Before becoming a partner in 2000, he began as a practice group leader, a position he held from 1998 to 2008. He also served as deputy chair of the litigation department between 2008 and 2014 and chair from 2014 to 2021.
Earlier in his career, Mr. O’Connell served as a trial lawyer at Nelson Kinder and Mosseau PC in Manchester, New Hampshire, where he focused on complex commercial disputes and professional negligence defense between 1997 and 1998. His foundational role was at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP in Boston, beginning in 1991, where he gained tremendous expertise in securities class actions, white-collar criminal defense, internal investigations, regulatory enforcement actions and intellectual property disputes.
In preparation for his future, Mr. O’Connell received a Bachelor of Art in government and theater arts, cum laude, from Saint Lawrence University in 1987 and a Doctor of Jurisprudence, with distinction in advocacy, from Cornell University in 1991. He has been admitted to practice by the Massachusetts, Maine, Washington, D.C., New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Vermont Bar Associations. He has also been admitted to practice by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine and D.C., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st, 2nd, 9th and 10th Circuits, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Active in his professional community, Mr. O’Connell is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel and as the vice chair and a commission member of the Governor’s Judicial Selection Commission in New Hampshire, appointed by Governor Sununu. The commission recommends candidates to the governor for open positions in the Supreme Court, Superior Court and Circuit Court. Currently, Mr. O’Connell is handling over 20 cases for individuals facing financial difficulties through the New Hampshire Bar program, which provides legal assistance to those in need.
Mr. O’Connell has proudly supported various nonprofit organizations, including the New Hampshire Food Bank and the Task Force to Prevent Child Abuse. He presently gives back to the educational sector by serving on the board of trustees at Saint Lawrence University since 2018.
As an expert in his field, Mr. O’Connell has contributed numerous articles to professional publications in “From the Trenches III: Pretrial Strategies for Success,” including ‘Internal Investigations: Practical Considerations for Avoiding Pitfalls’ in 2018. In light of his success, he has received numerous accolades, including a Frederick Douglass Human Rights Award from the Law Office of the Southern Center for Human Rights, an Award for Dedicated Pro Bono Service from the New Hampshire Bar Association, and several Best Lawyers in America honors. Mr. O’Connell was also recognized by the New Hampshire Bar for his efforts in domestic violence and sexual assault cases on behalf of victims. In February 2025, Mr. O’Connell will receive the Exemplary Public Service Award from Cornell University’s law school for his extensive pro bono work. Mr. O’Connell attributes his success to several exemplary mentors and now dedicates much of his time to recognizing and appreciating the efforts of others.
For more information, please visit:
Contact Mr. O’Connell:
