Charles H O'Banion

Review of Attorney Charles O'Banion – A Deeply Disappointing Experience I rarely leave public reviews, but I feel a strong responsibility to warn others about our experience with Charles O'Banion, a criminal defense attorney in Washington, DC. Simply put, hiring him was a disastrous decision that co...uld have cost my child their future. From the beginning, Mr. O'Banion demonstrated a disturbing lack of communication, professionalism, and urgency. He does not use email or text messaging and relies solely on phone calls, when he actually returns them, which is rare. Important documents were printed and sent via FedEx, often arriving late or not at all. This outdated approach was not only inefficient but also detrimental to a case that required prompt and careful attention. Despite having access to critical video evidence and over a dozen character letters that supported my child's innocence, he failed to present nearly all of it to the court during the time of the hearing. When I asked for updates, his repeated response was, “Relax, let me be the lawyer. I treat my clients like my son. His court behavior was appalling. He remained seated during hearings, slouched in his chair, legs stretched out, addressing the judge with a shocking level of casualness and disrespect. He brought grocery store shopping bags to carry my child’s documents in place of a briefcase. He looked disheveled and often arrived late to meetings, even at the jail—sometimes as late as 9 PM—wearing wrinkled clothing, no teeth, and visibly unprepared. Even more disturbing, he seemed more aligned with the prosecution than with defending my child. He pressured me to talk my child into taking a plea deal for a crime that he did not commit, which would have resulted in a five-year sentence. When I refused, he said, “Your child is young enough to do the time and still go back to college and get a new career.” That was the moment I realized we needed a new lawyer. I felt maybe we were being punked, or that it was some type of joke, but he was very serious. Thankfully, we replaced him just in time. Had we not, I believe my child—an innocent person—would have been wrongfully convicted and sent to prison, simply due to Mr. O’Banion’s lack of effort and complete disregard for his professional duties. This experience was nothing short of a nightmare. If you are looking for a defense attorney who will fight for you or your loved one, I urge you to look elsewhere. Choosing Mr. O'Banion was a mistake for us, which I hope no other family has to endure. There’s so much more I could share, but I don’t have the time. But please take this review seriously. I saw one or two other reviews. How is that possible, with 50 years of experience? Where are the others?