HARRISBURG (April 24, 2013) - Francis X. O'Connor, a sole practitioner in Great Bend, will become president-elect of the Pennsylvania Bar Association on May 10 at the conclusion of the PBA Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh. O'Connor will become president of the 28,000-member statewide lawyers association in 2014.

O'Connor is a former member of the PBA Board of Governors, having served as PBA treasurer from 2008 to 2011 and as the Zone Five Governor representing lawyers from Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties in from 2003 to 2007.

A member and past chair of the PBA Membership Development Committee, O'Connor is also a past president of the PBA Conference of County Bar Leaders. He is a council member of the PBA Solo and Small Firm Practice Section. He served as vice chair of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, of which he was a member for six years. He has spoken to numerous groups on lawyer discipline and legal ethics and has authored a number of related articles. He also serves as a lecturer for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. He is the vice president of the Susquehanna County Bar Association.

O'Connor serves as solicitor for and is a life member of the Great Bend Fire Company. He is an Eagle Scout and is an assistant scoutmaster for Troop 89 of the Boy Scouts of America. He has received numerous awards for his scouting activities, including the Silver Beaver and the District Award of Merit. He is a Eucharistic minister at St. Lawrence Roman Catholic Church and a fourth-degree member of the Knights of Columbus. He also serves as a member/attendant for the Great-Bend/Hallstead Volunteer Ambulance Company.

O'Connor is a graduate of the University of Scranton and the St. Louis University Law School.

Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access to legal services; and serve the 28,000 lawyers who are members of the association.