Michael P. O'Connell

I have been continuously practicing law in South Carolina for 47 years. I graduated from Belmont Abbey College in in North Carolina in 1968 with a B.A. in Political Science in 1968.  I entered the US Army in 1969 and was honorably discharged in October 1971 as a Sergeant on the same day I returned a year's tour of duty in Vietnam where I served as a Counter-Intelligence Agent.  I graduated from the University of South Carolina Law School in 1975 with a Juris Doctor. During my legal career, I served as a public defender for 15 years including 5 years as the Chief Public Defender for Charleston County and 5 years as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Charleston.  For 4 years, I was a hearing officer for the Occupational Safety and Health Division of the South Carolina Department of Labor.  I was an adjunct professor of Political Science at the Citadel in the early 1990s.

I have been in the private practice of law since 1996.  I specialize in Family Court cases and criminal defense cases in state and federal courts.   I provide thoughtful professional advice to my clients based on my 47 years of handling complex criminal defense and family law matters.