Timothy O'Connell receives Pro Bono Publico award

Timothy O’Connell had a unique path to the legal profession. Now a St. Louis associate at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, O’Connell first spent a decade working as a journalist with both the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and The Washington Post. 

In November of 2012, O’Connell walked out of the Cole County courthouse with his client, George Allen. Allen was convicted of rape and murder in 1982, but O’Connell and his colleagues partnered with the Innocence Project to prove that he was not guilty and oversee his release after serving 30 years in prison. 

O’Connell calls the case a “career highlight,” but his work to ensure justice didn’t end there. 

Today, O’Connell contributes to Legal Services of Easter Missouri as part of their Neighborhood Vacancy Project.  

“My fellow lawyers and I get to help neighborhood leaders directly improve their neighborhoods and improve access to quality housing,” O’Connell says of the work.  

O’Connell was recently honored with a 2020 Pro Bono Publico Award. These Missouri Bar awards acknowledge lawyers, firms or organizations for outstanding pro bono activities.