Thomas J. O'Leary

Thomas O’Leary focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, with particular emphasis on construction law, bad faith litigation, and special education law. Leveraging his extensive background in nuclear engineering, Tom advises clients on a wide range of construction-related matters, including drafting contracts and resolving complex construction disputes. Throughout his career, he has represented public and private owners, developers, engineers, architects, sureties, construction managers, contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers in cases involving delay and disruption claims, productivity losses, design and construction defects, default terminations, differing site conditions, scope of work disputes, and performance and payment bond claims. His projects span across various sectors, including heavy/highway, public works, commercial, marine, and residential construction, as well as hospitals, high-rise buildings, schools, universities, shopping centers, prisons, power plants, and more.Tom has also developed significant expertise in bad faith claims, particularly those related to first-party insurance coverage actions and surety performance bonds. In 2011, he was selected as a Member of the Construction Industry Panel of the American Arbitration Association (AAA), a prestigious designation given to highly accomplished construction industry experts. He is listed on the AAA’s Roster of Neutrals for construction cases, a distinction held by only the top professionals in the field.In addition to his construction law practice, Tom is deeply committed to advocating for individuals with disabilities and their families. His work focuses on the legal rights of disabled individuals, including issues related to special education, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and accommodations for high-stakes testing such as licensing examinations. Tom’s personal experience raising a child with special needs has given him a unique and empathetic understanding of the challenges parents face in securing the education and services their children are entitled to. He assists families with navigating eligibility, evaluations, and the preparation of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), and provides representation in mediation and litigation before the New Jersey Office of Administrative Law, as well as in federal and state courts.Before becoming a lawyer, Tom served as an on-site monitor for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) at a nuclear power plant and as an engineering officer in the U.S. Navy aboard a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine. During his naval service, he accumulated more than 1,500 hours supervising the operation of the ship’s nuclear propulsion plant and served as the ship’s quality assurance officer, overseeing over 400 repairs to nuclear and non-nuclear systems. Tom was certified as a Naval Nuclear Engineer by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Naval Reactors Division.