Protecting Wisconsin Employees From Workplace Discrimination and Retaliation

O'Connor Law Firm represents employees throughout Wisconsin in employment and civil rights matters before state and federal courts and administrative agencies. Attorney Patrick O'Connor is committed to helping workers navigate difficult workplace challenges and seek accountability when employers violate the law.

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Practice Areas

O'Connor Law Firm counsels, advises, and fights for Wisconsin employees in the following types of cases:

FMLA & Disability Discrimination

Severance Agreement Negotiations

Sexual Harassment

Wrongful Discharge

Representing consumers harmed by deceptive business practices, fraud, and violations of Wisconsin consumer protection laws.

Defending your right to report illegal workplace activities, safety violations, or discrimination without facing wrongful termination or discipline.

Holding employers accountable for hostile work environments, unwelcome sexual advances, and quid pro quo harassment.

Representing employees who have been wrongfully terminated in violation of public policy.

Discrimination

Retaliation

Civil Rights

Consumer Protection

Protecting you against unfair treatment based on race, gender, age, disability, pregnancy, religion, and other protected classes.

Protecting employees facing interference, retaliation, or wrongful termination because of a disability, medical condition, or need for medical leave.

Helping employees negotiate better severance packages while protecting their rights and financial interests.

Fighting for individuals whose civil rights have been violated through unlawful discrimination, harassment, or retaliation.

Employment discrimination - treating an employee or applicant differently because of a legally protected characteristic, like race, gender, or disability - is illegal in Wisconsin. O'Connor Law Firm provides advice and representation to employees with potential discrimination claims, including investigation, pre-litigation negotiation, and representation in hearings and trials before Wisconsin agencies and courts.

Discrimination can be subtle and hard to describe. Sometimes, employers who intend to discriminate will create seemingly valid reasons for actions taken against employees. Proving discrimination may require indirect evidence, especially if a protected class is treated less favorably than others for similar conduct under similar circumstances.

Have you been fired for what you believe is a discriminatory reason? Are you experiencing a hostile work environment based on your protected class? Know that you're not alone. Call O'Connor Law Firm at (608) 203-6349 today to discuss your legal matter.

O'Connor Law Firm exclusively represents employees - not employers - in discrimination and retaliation cases. Patrick O'Connor has built his career on advocating for employees, consumers, and other individuals without the power to advocate for themselves.

I look forward to speaking with you.

Discrimination

O'Connor Law Firm represents Wisconsin employees in retaliation cases, including employees who engage in protected activity under anti-discrimination statutes and wage and hour laws.

Under both Federal and Wisconsin law, you have the right to oppose discrimination in your workplace and the right to make or assist others in making complaints of discrimination. Whether you act formally or informally, your employer cannot fire or otherwise punish you for engaging in protected activity. Employees who object to discrimination in the workplace belong to a protected class.

Retaliation

Sexual harassment is unlawful under both federal law and the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act (WFEA). It includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, unwanted physical contact, and verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Sexual harassment can take several forms, including demands for sexual favors in exchange for employment benefits, harassment by supervisors, and conduct that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment. An employer may also violate the law by disciplining, terminating, or otherwise retaliating against an employee for rejecting unwelcome sexual advances or reporting harassment.

Sexual harassment need not involve physical contact, nor must it occur repeatedly to be unlawful. A single sufficiently severe incident may establish a violation, while less severe conduct may become actionable through repetition. Employers may also be held responsible for harassment by coworkers when they know or should know of the conduct and fail to take appropriate corrective action. Although sexual harassment is one of the most common forms of workplace harassment, unlawful harassment may also be based on race, disability, religion, national origin, or another legally protected characteristic.

Sexual Harassment

Representative Experience and Credentials

Attorney Patrick O'Connor focuses on employment law, civil rights, wage and hour disputes, and complex civil litigation. His background includes experience with labor organizations, government, legal aid, private litigation firms, and employee-side employment law practices.

Education

University of Wisconsin Law School, J.D. (2015)

• Certificate in Labor and Employment Law (Honors)
• Completed curricular concentration in labor and employment law studies

University of Massachusetts Amherst, B.A., cum laude (2010)

• Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society
• Majors in English and Communication
• Certificates in American Studies and Creative Writing

Admissions

• Wisconsin, 2015
• Rhode Island, 2016
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, 2017
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2023

Professional Experience

National Labor Relations Board – Milwaukee Subregional Office

• Researched and presented matters involving unfair labor practices and protected concerted activity

Laborers' International Union – Washington, D.C.

• Peggy Browning Fellow
• Researched labor and employment issues and proposed federal legislation

Union-Side Labor Law Practice (Rhode Island)

• Represented private and public-sector labor organizations and individual employees before arbitrators, administrative agencies, and courts
• Conducted legal research and advocacy involving unfair labor practices, wage and hour violations, and employee benefits disputes

Employee-Side Employment Law Practice

• Represent employees in discrimination, retaliation, harassment, disability accommodation, wage and hour, and wrongful termination matters
• Advise clients regarding claims before the Wisconsin Equal Rights Division, Madison Equal Opportunities Division, EEOC, and federal courts

Civil Litigation Experience

• Litigated employment, civil rights, consumer protection, business, contract, defamation, trade secret, landlord-tenant, construction, and probate disputes
• Drafted pleadings, argued motions, conducted discovery, negotiated settlements, and represented clients through trial and judgment

Representative Results

Employment Law

• Krantz v. Shutter Zone Media LLC, No. 24-cv-647 (W.D. Wis. 2025) – Defeated motion to dismiss Fair Labor Standards Act claims based on mootness arguments

• Phillips v. Mega Concrete Construction LLC, No. 20-cv-658 (W.D. Wis.) – Defeated motions to dismiss and for summary judgment in workplace racial discrimination litigation that proceeded to jury trial

Appellate Litigation

• Trojan v. Trojan, 208 A.3d 221 (R.I. 2019) – Successfully represented appellant before the Rhode Island Supreme Court in a precedential decision involving child support calculations

Civil Litigation

• Obtained summary judgment on negligent hiring, negligent supervision, landlord-tenant, and invasion of privacy claims

• Successfully obtained reconsideration resulting in an award of attorney fees under Wis. Stat. § 995.50

• Defeated insurance company declaratory judgment claims in Wisconsin consumer protection litigation

• Successfully obtained discovery orders and dismissals of adverse claims in Wisconsin circuit courts

Settlements and Resolutions

Successfully negotiated settlements involving:

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
• Wisconsin Fair Employment Act
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Family and Medical Leave Act
• Age Discrimination in Employment Act
• Fair Labor Standards Act
• 42 U.S.C. § 1981 discrimination claims

Also resolved disputes involving:

• Wisconsin Consumer Act
• Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
• Home Improvement Practices Act
• Deceptive Trade Practices
• Civil theft and theft-by-contractor claims
• Public accommodations discrimination claims

Publications

Patrick O'Connor, "Political Beliefs" and Employer Mask Mandates, WisLawNOW Blog (State Bar of Wisconsin Labor & Employment Law Section), Mar. 7, 2022.

Co-author, “Chapter 8: Collective Activity,” A Practical Guide to Employment Law in Rhode Island (2016) (with Elizabeth Wiens, Esq.).

Mailing Address

PO Box 930133
Verona, WI 53593

Contacts

608-203-6349
pat@wilaborlaw.com

Are you facing a challenge at work? You don't have to face it alone.

Reach out for assistance with discrimination, harassment, and retaliation cases.

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