HARRISBURG (April 30, 2015) - Francis X. O'Connor, a sole law practitioner in Great Bend, will become the immediate past president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association on May 8 at the conclusion of the PBA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.

O'Connor served as PBA treasurer from 2008 to 2011 and as the zone five governor representing lawyers in Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties from 2003 to 2007.

A member and past chair of the PBA Membership Development Committee, O'Connor also is a past president of the PBA Conference of County Bar Leaders (CCBL) and is the recipient of the CCBL's Gilbert Nurick Award. He is a council member of the PBA Solo and Small Firm Practice Section. He also serves as a lecturer for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. He is the immediate past vice president and treasurer of the Susquehanna County Bar Association. 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.

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 Award 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. He served from 2006 to 2013 on the University of Scranton Alumni Association Board of Governors. He and his wife, Sharon, have three children and two grandchildren.

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 27,000 lawyers who are members of the association.