With over two decades of experience advocating for the victims of injuries caused by other people or companies, as well as dangerous products, Jim is a founding partner and managing member of O’Leary, Shelton, Corrigan, Peterson, Dalton & Quillin, LLC. He is a proud third-generation attorney in his family. Jim followed in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps and learned the importance of commitment and hard work on clients’ cases at an early age.

Jim was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. Jim graduated from De Smet High School and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Tulsa. In 1995, he earned his law degree from the St. Louis University School of Law. He began his legal career in a defense firm where he spent several years learning how companies, including insurance companies, evaluate and defend claims and lawsuits brought against them. In 2002, Jim decided to use this knowledge to help those injured and became one of the founding members in Onder, Shelton, O’Leary & Peterson, LLC. He spent 15 years at this firm representing individuals and families who sustained injuries or other damages. In 2017, O’Leary, Shelton, Corrigan, Peterson, Dalton & Quillin LLC was established, where Jim continues his goal of helping those injured by dangerous products or the negligent actions of others.

Jim takes his job and his clients’ injuries very personally. His background gives him a unique perspective and competitive edge. Jim chose to do this type of work because of his personal experience with his brother, who suffered burns on over 90% of his body, caused by a defective gas can, when he was nine years old. Jim was 17 years old and had to put out the flames on his brother’s body, call for medical assistance, and the fire department for his burning house. In the following years, Jim watched firsthand how his brother’s injuries impacted his parents and four other siblings as they all lived through 21 surgeries, six months of hospitalizations, and many more years of physical and occupational therapy. They all still live with the heavy reminder of how a family can be affected by such a tragic incident.

Jim’s family’s story is no more unique than every family who has a loved one who suffers a significant injury and the specific hurdles they need to overcome to assist their loved one on the road to recovery. Jim’s purpose is to ensure that he is there for that process for his client and the family and to help where he can, with any of their unique needs, and getting them all of the potential recovery available from every responsible party. Jim is invested in his clients’ cases like no other.

Jim is a member of the Board of Governors for the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, an organization that fights to protect the interests of victims of negligence, torts, dangerous products and consumer fraud.

Jim is admitted to practice law in Missouri and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri.

Below is a sample of Jim’s verdicts and settlements on behalf of his clients:

$25,300,000 – defective auto component resulting in several deaths and injuries
$25,000,000 – jury verdict for the death of a child from a household product – Read More
$21,000,000 – defective medical device verdict – Read More
$15,500,000 – defective blind cord joiner product strangled child resulting in brain damage and life long care – Read More
$9,000,000 – dangerous construction site fall verdict – Read More
$8,300,000 – defectively designed and constructed roadway causing a child’s bike crash – Read More
$6,000,000 – partial building collapse caused by inadequate shoring – Read More
$5,000,000 – two children drowning at improperly supervised birthday party – Read More
$4,300,000 – trucking crash resulting in wrongful death – Read More
$4,000,000 – bad faith claim against insurance company arising from hotel rape – Read More
$3,750,000 – wrongful death caused by defective auto
$3,450,000 – defective product causing electric shock injuries to three utility workers
$2,900,000 – defective household product causing burn injuries
$2,500,000 – settlement for the shooting death of a customer by a business employee during an argument – Read More
$2,300,000 – pedestrian struck while walking on side of the road causing injuries – Read More
$2,245,000 – vehicle struck by oversized load on tractor trailer
$2,000,000 – wrongful death shooting at an educational facility – inadequate security – Read More
$1,850,000 – wrongful death shooting at a Domino’s pizza – negligent supervision – Read More
$1,500,000 – rape of a visitor at an apartment complex caused by inadequate security – Read More
$1,500,000 – wrongful death by fire caused by an auto defect
$1,400,000 – wrongful death caused by defective industrial machine
$1,250,000 – negligent sales transaction of 4-wheeler resulting in back injury
$1,220,000 – wrongful death by shooting at a bar caused by negligent supervision – Read More
$1,100,000 – wrongful death by shooting in a store caused by negligent security – Read More
$1,100,000 – defective scaffolding injury verdict – Read More

Jim is a Martindale-Hubbell AV rated attorney, indicating the highest level of legal ability and ethics, which is received by less than 10% of practicing attorneys.

Jim is a recipient of the 2022 Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly Power List for Personal Injury, which was determined by the professional legal magazine’s research into his recent career accomplishments and discussions with fellow attorneys, for the State of Missouri, an honor awarded to only 30 lawyers in the state of Missouri.

Jim has been named a Missouri Super Lawyer from 2010-2022, which represents the top 5% of practicing lawyers in the state of Missouri, as determined by other lawyers in Missouri. From 2016 through 2021, Jim has been named by his peers and published in KC Magazine, as a Top Attorney in Plaintiff Personal Injury General Law, as well as one of the Top Attorneys in Missouri, as selected by Peer Recognition and Professional Achievement, and published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. For several years, Jim has been a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, of which less than 1% of practicing lawyers in the United States would qualify.

In July of 2017, Jim was selected for Lifetime Achievement for America’s Top 100 Attorneys®, which is by invitation only and is reserved to identify the nation’s most exceptional attorneys whose accomplishments and impact on the legal profession merit a Lifetime Achievement award. In 2020, Jim was selected for membership in Lawyers of Distinction – Recognition for Personal Injury Law. In 2021, Jim was selected to the 28th edition of The Best Lawyers in America, which is based on a peer-review survey for recognized excellence in practice.

In 2022, Jim was once again chosen to be recognized in the 29th edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for his high caliber work in Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs.

Jim contributes time and resources to St. Patrick’s Center, which provides social services, including housing and feeding the homeless in the St. Louis area.

Jim enjoys spending time outside the office with his wife and their three children.