Trial attorney Paul McConnell is a former Marine Corps infantry officer and federal prosecutor with extensive grand jury, trial, and appellate experience. He is a highly skilled trial lawyer, advocate, and negotiator. He has been the lead counsel or presiding judge in hundreds of matters including over 55 jury trials. Paul represents veterans injured due to medical malpractice at VA and military hospitals. He also represents clients in divorce and related matrimonial areas.
Throughout his career, Paul developed a reputation as the “go-to guy” for challenging, high profile cases. A representation includes: two U.S. Army Abu Ghraib trials; a case involving parachute sabotage that formed the factual predicate for the second episode of “NCIS”; a $7.2 million armed robbery; several counter-terrorism matters; an extortion case involving a billionaire philanthropist; and a high profile civil rights/public corruption case, among many others. Paul has litigated cases in nine different states and four nations.
Immediately before entering private practice, Paul served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Connecticut where he developed a particular focus and expertise in healthcare fraud, bank fraud, environmental crimes, national security litigation. While at the U.S. Attorney’s office, Paul was also called-upon to defend high exposure medical malpractice claims brought under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
Prior to becoming a federal prosecutor, Paul served on active duty for 14 years as a United States Marine officer. He held a variety of assignments, including: infantry officer, defense counsel, claims attorney, prosecutor, trial judge, circuit judge, and deputy chief trial judge. Paul’s portfolio as a claims attorney included litigating medical malpractice claims arising at Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital. Paul served combat tours as a rifle platoon commander during the first Gulf War and as an operations officer in Afghanistan from 2010-2011. In 2008, as a reserve officer, he led a delegation to Baghdad, Iraq in order to present a two-week ministerial level, anti-corruption program. His personal decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (Fourth award), the Navy Commendation Medal, the Navy Achievement Medal (w/ combat “V”), and the Combat Action Ribbon. In addition, in 2012 while serving as an Assistant United States Attorney, Paul was awarded with the District of Connecticut’s coveted “Standing Tall” award. In 2014, the National Trial Lawyers Association listed him as a Top-100 Trial Lawyer. Paul is a Colonel in the United States Marine Corps Reserve where he presently serves as the senior reserve officer in the Navy-Marine Corps Trial Judiciary. He has previously held Top Secret clearances. Paul volunteers as the General Counsel for the MARSOC Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports families of Marine Special Forces members who are catastrophically injured or killed in the line of duty. Paul is a published author and sought after speaker on topics including the Federal Tort Claims Act and military medical malpractice claims.
Paul is foremost a trial lawyer with a national reputation for winning complex, high-stakes cases.
