Martin O’Hara, a 1995 graduate of The John Marshall Law School, is a member of the litigation group for Much Shelist Denenberg Ament & Rubenstein, P.C.
JMLS: What trial advocacy classes did you take at the Law School?
Martin O’Hara: I took Accelerated Trial Advocacy and Advanced Trial Advocacy at JMLS. A number of years ago, I participated in an adjunct capacity in the Accelerated Trial Advocacy program.
JMLS: Who was your favorite professor?
O’Hara: Professor John Scheid. I had Professor Scheid for two courses: Torts II and The Philosophy of the Law. The Philosophy of the Law was the greatest course that I have ever taken at any level of my education.
JMLS: How long have you been at Much Shelist Denenberg Ament & Rubenstein, P.C.?
O’Hara: I came to Much Shelist in October 2008, after having been at Quinlan & Carroll, Ltd. for 11 years.
JMLS: How did you get your job at Much Shelist?
O’Hara: I came to Much Shelist as part of a merger between the firm and Quinlan & Carroll, Ltd. I obtained a position at Quinlan & Carroll, Ltd. by sending a resume when I was concluding a clerkship in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County for Hon. Michael Brennan Getty.
JMLS: What is your practice area?
O’Hara: I am in the litigation group. My practice consists of general commercial litigation and professional malpractice defense, with an emphasis in the defense of legal malpractice claims.
JMLS: Did you know you wanted to be a litigator when you were a student? If not, what practice area did you see yourself in?
O’Hara: I knew that I wanted to be a litigator, although I originally thought that I would pursue criminal law as a prosecutor.
JMLS: How did your mind change about the practice area in which you wished to work?
O’Hara: Once I was exposed to the types of cases that I saw as a law clerk in the Chancery Division, I realized that I wanted to have a career in civil litigation.
JMLS: What do you like or dislike about litigation?
O’Hara: The thing that I like the most about litigation is the strategy component of the work. You have to devise a strategy at the outset of any litigation matter that will bring the matter to a favorable resolution for your client, either through settlement or trial. The thing that I dislike the most is spending countless hours fighting with opposing counsel on discovery issues that ultimately have very little impact on the outcome of the case.
JMLS: How often are you in the court room?
O’Hara: Once or twice per week, although that is primarily for the presentation of motions, status calls, case management calls etc.
JMLS: Does what you learned at JMLS affect how you try a case?
O’Hara: I definitely believe that I use what I learned at JMLS in trying cases and more generally litigating matters, particularly what I learned through the trial advocacy program, the evidence courses and the civil procedure courses that I took.
JMLS: What is your “dream case?” (e.g. favorite subject matter? ease? lots of litigation? settlement? etc.)
O’Hara: I cannot say that I have a “dream case;” however, I enjoy litigating matters where the other side is represented by excellent counsel and I have to be at my best in order to obtain a favorable result for my client.
JMLS: What is your advice to law students interested in civil litigation?
O’Hara: While trial skills are important, the most important skill for anyone involved in civil litigation is to be an excellent legal writer. Most cases are won or lost (or settled) based on briefs that are filed throughout the course of a case, from initial motion practice through trial briefs. You have to be an excellent legal writer to excel in the civil litigation arena.
JMLS: If you had to sum up your legal education in one sentence, what would you say?
O’Hara: I was exposed to a great group of professors and fellow students who helped me to learn the law and what it means to be a lawyer.
