Shiel Gallagher
Managing Partner
Anna O’Connor
Managing Partner

About Us

Who We Are

Located in the Midwest, Third Coast Lawyers is a women and minority owned personal injury law firm that represents clients nationwide.

With over 35 years of combined legal experience, the attorneys at Third Coast are devoted to educating their clients about the legal process and possible causes of their injuries, empowering them to come forward and assert their rights, and engaging the best attorneys to help pursue legal remedies available to them.

 
Meet the Partners

Our Practice Areas

A Few Select Areas of Focus

Explore All Practice Areas

Toxic Injuries

Toxic chemicals are everywhere. They are common in products we use, exposed to, and/or buy daily. While chemicals can be helpful, exposure to some harmful toxins through the food you eat, water you drink, the air you breathe, or through contact with your skin can create dangerous, long-term effects for you and your family.

Medical Malpractice Injuries

We trust doctors, nurses and other medical professionals with our health of the health of our loved ones. They have a responsibility to their patients to adhere to an established standard of care. Unfortunately, medical mistakes happen, and they happen often. For medical malpractice victims and their families, it is important not only to get closure, but to hold those who are at fault accountable.

Vehicle Accidents

The vast majority of motor vehicle, truck or motorcycle accidents involve human error and negligence. If you have been involved in a serious car, truck, or motorcycle accident or have lost a family member to a fatal motor vehicle accident, you need to understand how to recover the maximum compensation you deserve.

Construction Accidents

Construction work is one of the most dangerous occupations in America, because construction sites are inherently dangerous – they are filled with powerful machinery, heavy materials and incomplete structures that don’t yet meet standard safety codes.

Why Choose Us

Our Mission

All too often, especially with personal injury cases, people are mismatched with attorneys who have little to no experience dealing with the particular facts or complexities of a case.

OUR MISSION is to ensure that our clients have not only the best team of lawyers fighting for their rights, but also the right lawyers most experienced with their particular injury.

We Are More than just a Law Firm

Third Coast Lawyers is unique in many ways, but what truly sets it apart is its team approach.

Our attorneys collaborate with the nation’s top trial attorneys, so every client is matched with a highly experienced, and successful attorney who specializes in their specific case type.

By working as a team, our clients’ results are maximized at no added cost – two attorneys for the price of one.

It is Not a One Size Fits All Approach...

Our clients expect the highest caliber of legal aid. Clients rely on us to be approachable, responsive, efficient, and effective.

We offer FREE CONSULTATIONS, home and hospital appointments and a contingency fee arrangement, which means that we do not get paid unless you do.

We are committed to giving your case the attention it deserves and delivering exceptional results at a reasonable cost.

Our Practice Areas

We take an active, personal role in every case, responding promptly to inquiries and reporting regularly on case developments. Our attorneys travel all over the United States, accepting cases nationwide.

WE ARE MORE THAN JUST A LAW FIRM

It is Not a One Size Fits All Approach...

Our Approach

We EDUCATE our clients on the legal process and provide resources to EMPOWER them to make the best choices going forward. Our experience tells us that educating our clients and ENGAGING the best attorney for their case, leads to the greatest outcome.

What We Do

How We Can Help

  • Meet to discuss the issues facing the individual and their family, and identify potential legal remedies;
  • Once engaged, continue providing legal support and guidance throughout the duration of the case;
  • Assemble the appropriate legal team to evaluate the potential case;
  • Provide regular updates throughout the process to ensure that our clients know that they are a priority.
Contact Us

Third Coast Lawyers

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Get to Know the Partners

Anna O’Connor

Anna Gonis O’Connor is a founding member and managing partner with the Third Coast Lawyers who has litigated more than 50 jury trials over the course of her career. As an advocate for those in need, Anna focuses her practice on general litigation, real estate, personal injury, nursing home, family law and toxic tort matters. She has extensive experience in all phases of litigation involving disputes in state, federal and multi-district proceedings.

In addition to Anna’s significant trial experience, she is an accredited Cook County arbitrator. This work provides a valuable perspective to her legal practice. In all of her representations, she works to obtain favorable solutions that meet her clients’ legal objectives.

In her prior practice as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Complex Litigation Section of the Civil Actions Bureau, Anna handled a diverse caseload including federal civil rights litigation, reverse conviction cases, medical malpractice and tort cases. In February 2016, she successfully tried a federal class action jury trial with a finding of “not guilty” in favor of her client. Leonicio Elizarri v. The Sheriff of Cook County, 07 C 2427, (N.D. Ill., Gottschall).

In 2017, she drafted and argued a motion to dismiss the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, two prosecutors and one guardian ad litem, arguing prosecutorial immunity from a case pending in the Northern District of Illinois. Plaintiffs alleged constitutional violations under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983 and 1985 state tort claims. On March 16, 2018, Judge Kokoras granted her motion in its entirety. Nicole Dickman, et al. v. Office of the State’s Attorney of Cook County, et al., 16 C 9448, (N.D. Ill., Kokoras).

In her prior role as defense counsel, Anna previously served as a senior member of the national coordinating counsel for several product manufacturers. In this role, she managed local counsel in the defense of her client in several jurisdictions nationwide. She determined the best defense strategy for asbestos and other personal injury and product liability claims and regularly coordinated with expert witnesses, took and defended depositions across the country, and negotiated thousands of favorable settlements.

In her previous employment in private practice, she succeeded on a motion for summary judgment on behalf of a premises client in a dram shop matter in Cook County, Illinois. The trial court’s ruling on the motion for summary judgment was appealed and ultimately decided in her client’s favor, confirming the trial court’s order. Brown v. Nitro Nightclub, Inc., 2014 IL. App (1st) 131245-U (June 30, 2014).

Anna is a passionate advocate to those in need. She was previously accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs to assist indigent veterans with a variety of cases. She also volunteers with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services as a Guardian ad Litem, defending the best interest of minors.

A breast cancer survivor, Anna serves on the Board of Directors for the Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation, and is on the founding committee for the Hippocratic Cancer Research Foundation benefitting the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, where she assists in the organization of fundraising efforts to find a cure for cancer and regularly mentors women facing breast cancer.

Outside of the office, Anna enjoys spending time outdoors on hikes and traveling to national parks with her husband and two young children. She is also a certified managing real estate broker.

Education

  • The John Marshall Law School, JD, 2006
  • Lake Forest College, BA, 2002

Admissions

  • Illinois
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • United States District Court of Illinois — Trial Bar
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
  • Wisconsin
  • United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
  • Missouri

Community Outreach and Boards

  • Founding Committee for the Hippocratic Cancer Research Foundation via Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University
  • Board of Directors for the Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Foundation
  • Member at Large of the Women’s’ Network of Make-a-Wish IL
  • Guardian – ad Litem with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services
  • Member of the Chicago Bar Association