Manning J. (Jim) O’Connor is a trial lawyer with more than forty years of experience in Pennsylvania’s state and federal courts—and a fourth-generation member of a family long rooted in the bench and bar. He has spent his career handling high-stakes employment and commercial litigation, complex corporate disputes, and cases where the consequences extend well beyond the courtroom.

Jim is known for his strategic judgment and his refusal to confuse theory with experience. His counsel is shaped by decades of real trials with real outcomes. In addition, for 20 years Jim served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Duquesne University, where he taught the practical aspects of litigation, preparation and trial. 

A Roman Catholic by formation, practice and temperament, Jim is drawn to the ritual, tradition and places of continuity- whether in the law, faith or daily life. He strives to be a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend, and he openly credits his wonderful wife as his steady center and greatest influence. 

Though this book marks a turn toward fiction, it  is less of a legal thriller than a literary novel. Jim’s favorite authors include W.B. Yeats, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, and local authors Samuel Hazo and Ken Gormley. His musical tastes run from Gershwin to The Who. He is a classically trained woodwindist and a self-taught drummer. 

When he is not practicing law, writing, or spending time with his family, Jim can be found at his gun club, hunting, fishing, on a golf course, or alone in his den, always with his favorite cigar. He enjoys traveling, especially to Ireland. In all of his endeavors, Jim values spaces marked by craftsmanship, quiet confidence and tradition. Optimistic, principled and independent, Manning J. O’Connor writes the way he lives: directly, with conviction, and without pretense. 

Born and raised in Johnstown, Pa, Jim has been a resident of Pittsburgh for 50 years.