LowcountryBizSC: Dennis O’Neill reappointed as Chief Municipal Court Judge of Seabrook Island
Mt. Pleasant Attorney Dennis E. O’Neill has been reappointed chief municipal court judge for Seabrook Island by the mayor and members of Town Council. O’Neill, 63, began his service as municipal court judge for Seabrook Island in May of 2000 and has served continuously for the past 16 years.
“It is a tremendous honor to serve as municipal court judge for Seabrook Island. My goal is to see to it that the members of the public receive consistently courteous treatment regardless of the circumstances which bring them before the Court. I believe that we have been successful in that regard,” O’Neill noted. He credits the excellent staff at Seabrook Island, including Faye Allbritton, clerk of court; Lynda Whitworth, administrative assistant; and Randy Pearce, town administrator, with the efficient operation of the court.
O’Neill, a life-long resident of Charleston and Mt. Pleasant, graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1978. He relocated his law practice to Mt. Pleasant from Charleston in 1980, and has practiced in this community since that time.
“When I began practicing law in Mt. Pleasant, there were only three other attorneys in this town: Larry Richter, Jack Mauldin, and Baxter Kelly. Jack and Baxter have passed, so that leaves Larry and me as the most senior members of the local Bar. Time really does fly,” said O’Neill.
O’Neill is also a real estate broker, a board certified mediator, a board certified arbitrator, and a licensed title insurance agent. Additionally, he has served as chief judge of the Mt. Pleasant Municipal Court, as associate judge on Sullivan’s Island, as associate judge on the Isle of Palms, and as special circuit court judge for the Ninth Judicial Circuit. In 2005, O’Neill was elected by his peers as a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, an Association of Trial Attorneys which strictly adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards within the legal profession. He is admitted to practice in all state courts, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.
O’Neill and his wife, Lisa, reside in Mt. Pleasant and are members of Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian Church.
