Connor McCarthy

“My prosecutorial background shapes how I litigate: I think about the trial record from the first pleading, and I tell clients what they need to know rather than what they want to hear.” —Connor McCarthy

When workplace disputes arise, employers turn to attorney Connor McCarthy for creative and strategic advocacy focused on protecting their business interests.

Connor has successfully defended employers in lawsuits brought under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, the Conscientious Employee Protection Act, the New Jersey Wage and Hour Law, the Prevailing Wage Act, the Equal Pay Act, New York Labor Law Section 740, the New York City and State Human Rights Laws, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Whether a dispute concludes early or proceeds to trial, employers rely on Connor to manage the matter from initial pleadings through depositions, dispositive motions, mediation, and final resolution.

Workplace concerns require a prompt and carefully conducted internal investigation, and clients can count on Connor to lead that process by gathering facts, interviewing witnesses, and delivering a written report of findings and recommendations. He also counsels employers and national insurance carriers on litigation risk and resolution strategy long before a case reaches a courtroom.

Connor represents clients in state and federal trial and appellate courts in New Jersey and New York, in AAA arbitration, and in agency proceedings before the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Before moving to private practice, Connor spent four years as an Assistant Prosecutor in Middlesex County, New Jersey, where he handled cases from complaint through verdict. He carried an active caseload of over 100 matters at a time, presented cases to grand juries, argued pre- and post-indictment motions, and tried both bench and jury trials. Connor later directed complex financial and white-collar investigations alongside county intelligence units and federal partners, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Connor began his career clerking for the Honorable Thomas C. Miller, Assignment Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey in Somerset County, drafting opinions on complex commercial litigation, whistleblower claims, and state constitutional matters.

What Connor Delivers for Clients

• Trial-Tested Defense from Day One: A strategy built only around settlement can leave an employer unprepared if a case goes the distance. Connor built his trial instinct as a prosecutor and sharpens it daily defending employment claims, sizing up every matter for how it would hold up in front of a jury, not just on paper.
• Investigations Built to Withstand Challenge: An internal investigation that can’t survive a later challenge from a regulator or plaintiff’s counsel creates more exposure than it resolves. Connor runs workplace investigations the way a prosecutor builds a case file—with thorough fact-vetting and careful documentation—so the findings stand up when they’re tested.
• A Read on the Other Side’s Case: Knowing how a regulator or plaintiff’s counsel is likely to build a case can make the difference between getting ahead of a dispute and simply reacting to it. Connor’s years directing government investigations give him a working sense of that process, which he uses to anticipate arguments and shore up a client’s position early.
• Coordinated Strategy with Carriers: A defense strategy that isn’t aligned with a carrier’s reporting and reserve requirements can create friction at the worst possible moment. Connor coordinates directly with national insurance carriers throughout a matter, keeping the carrier and the insured working from the same playbook.

• Obtained summary judgment in federal court dismissing a whistleblower retaliation claim brought under New York Labor Law Section 740 against a financial institution.
• Drafted and argued a successful motion to dismiss tort claims against a construction company as barred by the New Jersey Workers’ Compensation Act’s exclusive remedy provision.
• Defended a general contractor in a consolidated wage and hour class action through expedited appeal of class certification order.
• Conducted an internal investigation for a New Jersey construction company and prepared the written report of findings and recommendations to protect against future New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and hostile work environment claims.
• Assisted a New Jersey e-commerce/retail fulfillment company with a comprehensive investigation into employee theft and recommended additional safeguards and procedures to prevent further theft of inventory.
• Secured favorable results for employers across numerous industries in actions brought under state anti-discrimination and whistleblower laws.

• New Jersey Rising Stars, Business Litigation (2026)

No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Learn more about the award selection criteria and ranking methodology.

Education

• University of Wisconsin Law School (J.D., 2020)
• Managing Editor, Wisconsin Law Review
• Member, Wisconsin Moot Court Board

• Ursinus College (B.A., 2017)