Biographies

Thomas M. O’Connor is a founding partner of the firm and currently focuses his practice on Personal Injury cases.  As a partner in O’Connor, Runckel & O’Malley LLP, Mr. O’Connor represents plaintiffs in serious personal injury and wrongful death cases with a proven record of success.

Mr. O’Connor has been selected to Super Lawyers from the years 2013 through 2020. This designation is given to only the top-rated attorneys as recognized by their peers.

Mr. O’Connor is a 5th generation San Francisco native and comes from a long line of distinguished attorneys.  His grandfather and namesake, Thomas Martin O’Connor, held the office of City Attorney of San Francisco from 1961 until he retired in 1977.  His great-grandfather, also Thomas Martin O’Connor, was a famous criminal lawyer in San Francisco, and his cousin, Thomas Lynch, held the office of District Attorney of San Francisco and was a three-term California State Attorney General.

Mr. O’Connor graduated from St. Ignatius High School in 1986.  He attended St. Mary’s College on a football scholarship and graduated in 1990 with degree in Political Science and a minor in Business Administration.  In 1994, Mr. O’Connor graduated in the top of his class from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.

From 1994 to 2006, Mr. O’Connor held a position as a Deputy District Attorney in the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office.  As a Deputy District Attorney, Mr. O’Connor prosecuted thousands of cases and has tried over 100 jury trials ranging from DUIs to complex and lengthy special circumstance homicides.  As a prosecutor for 12 years, Mr. O’Connor was assigned to several specialized units including Homicide, Domestic Violence, Serious Juvenile Offenders, Felony Filing, and Felony Crimes.

Mr. O’Connor also has extensive experience negotiating cases with other lawyers and judges.  He has personally negotiated the disposition of thousands of cases. These skills serve him and his clients as an invaluable asset in the investigation, litigation, and negotiation of all civil and criminal cases.

During his career, Mr. O’Connor has handled numerous high-profile cases and has extensive experience dealing with complex legal matters.  In addition, Mr. O’Connor is extremely adept in dealing with public relations and the media involved in high-profile cases.

Following 12 years as prosecutor, Mr. O’Connor served as chief legal officer for a private corporation. During his tenure as chief legal officer, Mr. O’Connor handled a variety of legal practices, including regulatory, securities, litigation, new product and service development, commercial transactions, and general business litigation.

Mr. O’Connor has practiced his entire career in the Bay Area.  He continues to live in the Bay Area with his wife and children and is actively involved in the community.

Jason O. Runckel is a founding partner of the firm and focuses his law practice on Personal Injury and Wrongful Death. As a Managing Partner of O’Connor, Runckel & O’Malley LLP, Mr. Runckel has handled hundreds of Personal Injury cases and recovered millions for his clients. He specializes in representing clients who have been injured in car, trucking, motorcycle and bicycle accidents. Mr. Runckel’s extensive experience representing clients who have suffered paralysis, traumatic brain injury, spinal injuries and bone fractures is unparalleled.

As a 3rd generation Contra Costa County native, Mr. Runckel went to St. Isidore’s School in Danville and De La Salle High School in Concord. He graduated from the University of California at Davis with degrees in Philosophy and American History.

In 1995, Mr. Runckel attended the University of Pacific McGeorge School of Law. Mr. Runckel made the Law Review and Dean’s list in 1996, 1997 & 1998. He graduated from McGeorge with Honors, finishing at the top of his class. Mr. Runckel has also written and published many legal papers.

From 1998 to 2007, Mr. Runckel held a position as a Deputy District Attorney in the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. As a Deputy District Attorney, Mr. Runckel prosecuted thousands of cases and has tried over 70 jury trials.

Mr. Runckel’s jury trial experience combined with his years of experience representing clients injured in motor vehicle accidents has made him a sought after personal injury attorney in the bay area.

Mr. Runckel has practiced his entire career in the bay area, where he continues to live with his wife and children.

Dan O’Malley (Judge Ret.) was born and raised in the East Bay. He comes from a family of eleven, all of whom settled in the Bay Area. His practice focuses on Criminal Defense, including White Collar crime and Cal OSHA defense, Government Relations and Personal Injury. He also specializes in Mediation and Arbitration of complex and simple civil actions. He has litigated, mediated, presided over and supervised thousands of cases in these areas. Dan grew up in Contra Costa County, attended De La Salle High School and local college. He has been practicing law for the past 22 years, both as a Litigator and a Judge. Many of his family members are involved in the practice of law. His father, Bill O’Malley was the elected District Attorney, a Superior Court Judge and a Public Defender. His sister Nancy O’Malley is the elected District Attorney of Alameda County. His wife, Judge MaryAnn O’Malley is a former Deputy District Attorney and now a Judge with the Contra Costa County Superior Court. The couple was recently featured in Diablo Magazine as one of the East Bays’ Power Couples.

As a Deputy District Attorney, Dan’s assignments included the following: Homicide trial lawyer, Three Strikes trial lawyer, Juvenile trial lawyer as well as supervisor, Felony trial team lawyer, Misdemeanor and Felony charging deputy, Misdemeanor trial deputy as well as Supervisor, Law and Motion lawyer, Homicide Watch Search Warrant lawyer, Preliminary Hearing lawyer and supervisor, Special Operations (White Collar Crime, Civil Litigation, Environmental Crime, Consumer Fraud, Cal Osha Violations). As a Deputy District Attorney, Dan was regarded as a fierce trial lawyer. He tried many hundreds of cases including close to one hundred jury trials. He also evaluated and supervised thousands of cases, both criminal and civil. As a Judge, Department 13 (Dan’s Department) presided over many civil and criminal trials. He personally mediated and settled hundreds of civil and criminal cases. He attended many educational classes with the California Judges Association as well as the Administrative Office of the Courts, California Judicial Education and Research, and the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution (Pepperdine University). In 2005 he was one of nineteen appointed to the California Judges Association Ethics Committee.

Dan was an instructor for the California District Attorneys Association statewide homicide investigators as well as local investigators. He annually taught Coping with Defenses in Homicide Cases, Evidence and Direct and Cross Examination as well as being published in the CDAA manual. Dan was Senior Instructor for the Los Medanos Criminal Justice Training Center (Police Academy) from 1988-2000. His topics included Laws of Arrest, Criminal Law, Laws of Evidence, Search and Seizure, Homicide, Crimes of Property and Persons, Miranda and Police Ethics. Dan was also an Instructor at Los Medanos, Diablo Valley and Contra Costa Colleges in the areas of civil and criminal law. Currently, he teaches Statewide Police Officers in the Institute of Criminal Investigation in Sacramento California.

In March 2000, Dan O’Malley was elected Judge of the Superior Court in Contra Costa County. Judge O’Malley’s assignments included Supervising Judge of the Pittsburg Branch, Trial and Law and Motion, Proposition 36 Drug Court Supervisor. Dan then transferred to the Martinez Branch where he became the Criminal Calendar Supervisor. He handled all felony Dan’s duties and accomplishments include Supervising Judge of the Pittsburg Branch of the Superior Court, Proposition 36 Supervisor, Trial and Law and Motion Judge, Criminal Felony Calendar and Trial Judge for the Martinez Branch and Civil Calendar and Trial Judge in Martinez. Judge O’Malley was a well respected by his colleagues on the bench as well as the litigants. He was honored by Recovery Happens for his outstanding work in helping litigants struggle through the Prop 36 and Drug Court litigation. Dan’s extensive and unique experience has made him an invaluable representative for his clients. He understands the value of his client’s cases. His credibility with Judges, Civil Litigators and Prosecutors affords his clients the best opportunity for justice. He is completely committed to giving the best representation to his clients.