About
Michael O'Connell

ABOUT MICHAEL O'CONNELL

Criminal Defense, Personal Injury & Family Law Attorney

Michael P. O’Connell is the owner of Stirling & O’Connell. He represents people charged with federal and state crimes all over the Low Country of South Carolina including but not limited to DUIs, sex offenses, drug violations and homicides, assaults, theft, fraud, white collar crimes and tax violations.

Mr. O’Connell graduated from Belmont Abbey in 1968 and enlisted in the US Army that same year. He served a year in Vietnam in a military intelligence unit and was honorably discharged as a sergeant in 1971. He graduated from the University of South Carolina Law School in 1975 with a Juris Doctor and was admitted to the SC Bar that same year. He spent 15 years in public defenders’ offices including five years as the Chief Public Defender for Charleston County and as the Assistant Federal Public Defender in Charleston for 5 years. Mr. O’Connell served for several years on the South Carolina Bar Resolution of Fee Disputes Board, was an administrative hearing officer for the South Carolina Occupational Health and Safety Review Board, an adjunct professor of political science at The Citadel, and a faculty member at the National Criminal Defense College Trial Practice Institute.

Well-equipped to handle challenging cases with almost 45 years of experience behind him, Mr. O’Connell has resolved hundreds of cases and is admitted to practice in South Carolina and before the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina and the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. He holds the highest peer review rating possible of AV Preeminent* from Martindale-Hubbell for his high ethical standards and a long list of successful results.

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer-review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ fall into two categories — legal ability and general ethical standards.