HARRISBURG (April 30, 2012) - Francis X. O'Connor, a sole practitioner in Great Bend, will become vice president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association at the close of the organization's Annual Meeting, May 11, in Lancaster. 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 in 2008 - 2011 and as the Zone Five Governor representing lawyers from Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties in 2003 - 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 for 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 articles on these topics. 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 who presently 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.