Mount Pleasant Magazine Sept/Oct 2013

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T He field of law is complicated,
structured by laws and rulings yet fluid and
malleable as it applies to human behavior.
Some areas of law can be routine, such as
real estate, with its mounds of paperwork
and figures. Others, including criminal and civil cases, are
much more complicated,
and the pathway to satisfac-
tory results can be ambiguous. But no matter the area of
expertise, there is no substitute for experience.
“Give six different lawyers
the same set of facts and
you’ll get six different pro-
posed solutions,” said Dennis
O’Neill of the O’Neill Law
Firm, pointing out that the
path to the best solution is
reached through a combi-
nation of knowledge and
experience. “Practicing law is
a tremendous challenge. Put-
ting together the pieces is like
solving a puzzle.”
O’Neill solves puzzles for
his clients, but he is also a
“lawyer’s lawyer.” His counsel
is sought by his peers as well.
“He has a knack for
seeing the solution,” accord-
ing to fellow lawyer Frank
McCann, past president of
the Charleston County Bar
Association. “He has a clarity of thought that I envy. I
consider him my lawyer.”
Over the course of his career, O’Neill has faced
hundreds, if not thousands, of challenges. After
graduating from the University of South Carolina
Law School in 1978, he took advantage of virtually
every opportunity that came his way in order to gain
experience, including offering his services as a public
defender to the city of Charleston.
“My friend and I thought it was a good idea to offer to
be public defenders at the age of 25,” O’Neill said, adding
that they were immediately put to work.
Throughout his career, O’Neill gained experience
in criminal trials – he defended his first murder case in
1979 – as well as in civil court, serving as counsel and
co-counsel in cases ranging from automobile accidents to
custody disputes.
In 1983, having spent several years arguing cases for
both the defense and the prosecution, O’Neill was tapped
to be a judge for the Mount Pleasant Municipal Court; he
was chief judge for seven years. He also has served the mu-
nicipal courts on Sullivan’s
Island and the Isle of Palms
and as a special Circuit
Court judge for the Court
of Common Pleas for the
Ninth Judicial District.
Today, O’Neill con-
tinues to concentrate on
criminal cases, personal
injury, real estate, probate
and related matters. For
the past 14 years, he has
been judge of the Seabrook
Island Municipal Court.
O’Neill is well respected
by his peers for his experi-
ence and his approach to
solving the legal challenges
of real life.
“Dennis is the go-to
guy,” said Stanley Feldman, a
lawyer and a longtime friend.
Feldman added that life can be complicated, and
people sometimes have difficulty understanding the differ-
ence between “their rights” and “the best thing to do under
the circumstances.”
“Dennis has a good sense of which battles to fight,”
Feldman said. “He is the cream of the crop.”
The O’Neill Law Firm is located at 1473 Stuart Engals
Blvd. in Mount Pleasant. For an appointment, call
(843) 884-9494. Additional information can be found at
.
Meeting the Challenge
Dennis O’Neill
Networking
Photo by Brian Sherman.
By BarBara MILLen PatrIck
Dennis O’Neill offers his clients the advantages of his years of
experience in various areas of the field of law.