Title: Chief Executive Officer and Attorney
Company: Smith, Schroeder & O’Connell, Attorneys at Law
Location: Decatur, Georgia, United States
John J. O’Connell, Jr., Esq., Chief Executive Officer and Attorney at Smith, Schroeder & O’Connell, Attorneys at Law, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Lawyers for dedication, achievements, and leadership in Legal Services.
Mr. O’Connell is lauded for his expertise as a seasoned attorney of over 35 years. Representing his general practice law firm, Smith, Schroeder & O’Connell, Attorneys at Law, in Decatur, Georgia, as one of the firm’s founding members and chief executive officer since 1997, he focuses his practice on various aspects of the law, including personal injury litigation, criminal defense and divorce and family law. Mr. O’Connell’s team at Smith Schroeder also represents clients in wills and trusts, probate cases, general civil cases, corporate and business law cases, and other general practice legal matters.
Mr. O’Connell’s expertise as a trial attorney has placed him well-positioned to represent clients, earning him a reputation for excellence. His remarkable ability to establish strong connections with clients and juries from diverse backgrounds and a strong rapport with fellow attorneys and judges has also been pivotal to his success.
In addition to his role at Schroeder & O’Connell, Attorneys at Law, Mr. O’Connell has maintained John J. O’Connell Jr., Attorney at Law, since 1985. Throughout his career, he has gained experience in many areas of the law, including general negligence, torts, trespass, defamation and insurance law. Besides his law-related roles, Mr. O’Connell taught as an adjunct faculty member for the community college system of the State of Arizona in 1993.
Possessing a rich educational background, Mr. O’Connell received a Bachelor of Arts in political science and government from the University of Arizona in Tucson in 1979. Subsequently, he attended Western State University in San Diego, where he garnered a Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1982. Mr. O’Connell has been admitted to practice by the Georgia and Montana Bar Associations, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth and 11t Circuits, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, and the U.S. Tax Court. Mr. O’Connell also held a special teaching certificate to teach law by the State of Arizona’s state board of directors and community colleges from 1993 to 1995.
Active in his professional community, Mr. O’Connell is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice (formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America), the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and the Dekalb Bar Association. Civically active, he is affiliated with the University of Arizona Alumni Association. He has also sponsored various causes, including the Georgia State Troopers Association and the Annual Bench and Bar Dinner.
Besides his legal affiliations, Mr. O’Connell had the opportunity to serve as the presiding judge at the 2006 Atlanta Regional American Association for Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition. The mock trial competition included law students and law schools throughout the country.
Throughout his career in law, Mr. O’Connell has garnered significant success, earning numerous trial verdicts and acquittals. He has also represented clients in high-stakes criminal cases. Looking toward the future, he is focused on maintaining his current activities over the next few years. He remains steadfast about remaining in the field in some capacity once he retires from the courtroom, possibly in a teaching capacity, where he can continue to share his expertise and influence the future of the law.
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