May 12, 2009

Markell Nominates Brendan O'Neill to be Next Public Defender

Veteran attorney would bring more than three decades of experience to the position

WILMINGTON – Gov. Jack Markell announced today that he is nominating J. Brendan O'Neill to be Public Defender of the State of Delaware.  O'Neill has worked in the Delaware Public Defender's Office for 13 years, and he presently serves as the Chief of Legal Services in that office.  If confirmed by the Senate, O'Neill will succeed Larry Sullivan, who will retire on June 1, 2009 after 39 years leading the Public Defender's Office.

"Brendan O'Neill has the right mix of experience, leadership skills and vision to move the Public Defender's Office forward during these challenging times," Markell said.  "He is a top-notch trial attorney who has the respect of Delaware's judges, his colleagues in the Public Defender's Office, and his counterparts in the Attorney General's Office.  Larry Sullivan did a tremendous job as Public Defender.  I am confident that Brendan is the right person to succeed him."

"I am honored to be nominated today by Governor Markell," O'Neill said.  "We have an outstanding set of attorneys in the Public Defender's Office, but I think we can do more.  If I am confirmed by the Senate, I will work to make sure that the Public Defender's Office will not only provide vigorous representation of our clients, but also to make sure that we reach out to the community and build the public's confidence in our office and Delaware's criminal justice system."

O'Neill has more than 30 years of experience trying criminal cases.  He has been with the Public Defender's Office since 1995.  During that time, he has supervised the New Castle County Superior Court Trial Unit and, since 2005, served as Chief of Legal Services.  As Chief of Legal Services, O'Neill has been responsible for assigning and supervising the 75 lawyers in the Public Defender's Office.  While serving in these roles, O'Neill has continued to represent defendants in capital murder cases and other high profile matters. O'Neill is the only public defender to become a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

O'Neill is a 1972 graduate of Dartmouth College and a 1975 graduate of the King Hall School of Law at the University of California, Davis.  Before joining the Public Defender's Office in 1995, he practiced for two years with the Delaware Attorney General's Office.   Prior to that, O'Neill practiced law in California, as a Deputy District Attorney in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles, and for fourteen years as the founder and principal of a private law firm specializing in criminal defense.