Brent O'Leary is a top finance lawyer and political organizer. He is presently Senior Legal Compliance Counsel for Bloomberg LP. O'Leary, who speaks fluent Japanese, began his career at the law firm, White & Case LLP, in their Tokyo Office doing Project Finance, M&A and other complex international financial deals. In 2002, he was named one of the top lawyers in Japan by Asia Legal Business for corporate and e-commerce transactions and, in 2006, he became Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce Japan Corporate Counsel Committee. O'Leary left White & Case in 2003 to become Head of Asia Legal Compliance for Bloomberg LP and transferred back from Tokyo to the New York office in 2006.
In 2002, O'Leary was elected Chair of Democrats Abroad, Japan Chapter which helps Americans overseas to vote. He then went on to be elected to the Democratic National Committee from 2004-2008 and was a Superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2008. When O'Leary's term on the Democratic National Committee ended in 2008, he, at the request of the Obama Campaign, coordinated Irish Americans for Obama in NY. In 2009, he made a strong but unsuccessful run for election for New York City Council to represent Woodside, Sunnyside and Long Island City.
O'Leary's grandfather, Francis O'Leary is from Kilmihil, County Clare and his grandmother Mary O'Leary is from Kilrush, County Clare. They both immigrated to New York City from Ireland in 1916, met at the Clare dance in New York City and settled in Sunnyside, Queens.
O'Leary was born in Jackson Heights, Queens. He graduated with a B.A. in History from Trinity College, Hartford and received his law degree from Boston University Law School. During college, he studied Irish history for a semester at University College Galway, Ireland and played rugby on their team. During law school, O'Leary was one of six people chosen from his law school to study international law for a term at Oxford University, England. O'Leary is involved in a number of charities and has organized events for Make-A-Wish and the Christina Noble Foundation which establishes schools for homeless children. He also helped with translations for the Civil Liberties Union in its efforts against human trafficking.
