Partner Daniel P. O’Toole was proud to be honored with the University of Scranton’s Frank J. O’Hara Distinguished Alumni award in recognition of his extensive philanthropic work and his record-breaking successes as a premier personal injury trial attorney. The award celebrates alumni “who embody Scranton’s Catholic and Jesuit experience and who have achieved distinction in their professional or personal endeavors.”
Mr. O’Toole received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Scranton, a Jesuit research university founded in 1888 by William O’Hara, before going on to receive his J.D. from the Fordham University School of Law. In 2018, Mr. O’Toole was also honored with the James F. Gill Spirit of Hope Award from Fordham Law School’s Feerick Center for Social Justice in recognition of his charitable work.
Mr. O’Toole has dedicated his career to empowering people who are in less-fortunate situations, whether they were in an accident caused by somebody else’s negligence, have a life-threatening illness such as cancer, or are financially disadvantaged. This is best exemplified in the work he has done for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, as he has been instrumental in helping raise over $5,000,000 through the annual Autumn Wine Tasting, which is sponsored by Block O’Toole & Murphy.
The power of education has never been lost on Mr. O’Toole. He has made it a point to help provide education for others when he can and is a major donor to the Institute of Educational Achievement, a school for autistic children. He and his wife have also endowed scholarships at the Fordham University School of Law and Georgetown University; they’ve also made significant contributions to the Dr. Michael DeMichele Scholarship at the University of Scranton, and to a scholarship at Boston College.
None of this would be possible, however, without Mr. O’Toole continuing to bring in top compensation for his clients at Block O’Toole & Murphy, the New York personal injury law firm which has won more results exceeding $1,000,000 than any other New York law firm every year since 2012. In recognition of his continued success as an attorney, Mr. O’Toole has been named a New York Best Lawyer every year since 2014, a distinction reserved for the top 5% of attorneys in the field across the entire nation.
In April 2019, Mr. O’Toole made headlines after helping secure a $110,174,972 jury verdict for an injured cyclist alongside lead attorney Partner Scott Occhiogrosso. This landmark result is believed to be the largest non-medical malpractice verdict in the history of New York. He is also responsible for securing a $32,756,156 jury verdict for an injured Vietnam Veteran, the largest personal injury verdict in Suffolk County history, alongside partner Stephen J. Murphy. Altogether, Mr. O’Toole has won more than $350,000,000 for his clients.
“It’s such an honor to be recognized by the University of Scranton, a place where I learned so much academically, and also on a personal level,” said Mr. O’Toole. “The Jesuit values instilled in me here have had a profound impact on the trajectory of my life. I will continue to work hard to manifest those values and uplift other people however I can.”