Murnane & O’Neill Attorneys At Law, aptly named after founders Harold Murnane III and Peter O’Neill, is celebrating 30 years of success in practicing law, but also the attainment of an incredible friendship.
Murnane began practicing law solo, but he found that his client load was getting too large to keep up with. He began searching for a partner, and in 1985, he was introduced to O’Neill by a friend in common.
“As it turned out, one of his classmates from the University Of Baltimore School Of Law was someone that I worked with at the time, ” O’Neill said. At the time, O’Neill was practicing criminal defense work as an assistant public defender for Anne Arundel County.
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Murnane and O’Neill were introduced in late 1985, and following a few meetings, they decided to form a partnership. Murnane & O’Neill Attorneys At Law opened its doors shortly thereafter in January 1986.
“Quite frankly, it was pretty scary, ” O’Neill admitted. “I had just gotten married and I had a steady income. Having a wife who is pregnant and leaving the security of working with the state of Maryland was sort of gut-wrenching.”
Though O’Neill thought the move to a budding practice would be risky, Murnane believed that even if by some chance the business failed, O’Neill was young and talented enough to land on his feet.
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“It was the right choice on a lot of different levels, ” O’Neill explained. “I always wanted to be self-employed and work in an environment where my hard work and sweat equity would make a difference in my ability to earn an income for my family.” But, he added, money was not his sole motivation, “I wanted to build something; I didn’t want to be just a salaried employee.”
In the early years, the duo would take on almost any type of case, but for the last 20 years or so, they have focused mainly on two areas: criminal defense and personal injury work.
O’Neill decided to focus primarily on criminal defense in order to “be the best criminal defense attorney in this area.” The best way to achieve that, he said, “was to not try to be a jack of all trades, but to focus on an area that I get the most satisfaction from.”
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For Murnane, his passions drew him to focus on personal injury law. This includes injuries caused by the negligent acts of others such as auto accidents, industrial accidents and more. “Helping people put their lives back together is very important to me, ” Murnane said.
While winning cases is of utmost importance at Murnane & O’Neill, that commitment to helping others get back on track has become a major foundation of the practice.
“I think I can be an instrumental force in people’s lives as an attorney, ” O’Neill said of his responsibility to clients to be both a lawyer and a guide.
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“As an attorney, you have that unique relationship and you can try to help the client understand why he or she might be in this situation, ” O’Neill explained. “I find myself more and more trying to have people self-reflect. It’s a hard balance because I’m not a social worker, but I think that [it’s important] to help if you care about people and you want people to be happy.”
Murnane agreed, and said that caring for clients is not only beneficial to those seeking legal help, but bolsters the relationship between both partners.
“Peter and I share the same core values, ” Murnane said. “Those have probably been the foundation – the thing that really keeps the relationship together.”
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O’Neill admitted that he didn’t know how far this partnership would take him when he signed on with Murnane, but he had extremely high hopes.
“I’m sure when the Beatles got together or the Stones got together, no one would anticipate that they would be together 30 years later, ” O’Neill said. “In the moment, you’re hoping that there’s a relationship that’s positive for both parties, but I think that you’re not looking beyond a few years when you form the partnership.”
“I always envisioned us to be successful lawyers practicing in our community, ” said Murnane. “We’re not surprised by what we’ve accomplished, but we are very appreciative. We’ve each been helped along the way by people that we’ve forged relationships with.”
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“We have put in countless hours for many years – more hours than I’d like to recall, ” Murnane said bluntly. “But we have always been driven by the responsibility that we feel to the people we represent. It’s a combination of being driven to achieve results and the competitive aspect of our personalities.”
That workload is sure to stay constant and increase as Murnane & O’Neill continues to grow, but the future will hold even more chances to evolve.
“It’s a challenging future, ” O’Neill said. “You have to be able to evolve and keep up with the changes in the law and technology.” O’Neill admitted that these changes are not necessarily negative, as they help to keep the job fresh. “I enjoy the challenges of learning new things and becoming a better lawyer every day, ” he said.
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“What I foresee for the immediate future is for us to keep doing what we’ve been doing, ” Murnane said. “Learn from our successes, continue to build on old relationships and create new ones – that’s what keeps you going every day.”
No matter what is in store for the next decade or two, both Murnane and O’Neill are proud of their past and excited for the future.
“I feel extremely blessed that God has given me this opportunity, ” O’Neill said. “Hal has been not only my partner but my best friend. That’s a blessing because I get to work with someone that I respect, is a consummate litigator, cares about his clients and has been incredibly successful. That’s been incredibly rewarding.”On Nov. 19, the Law Career Development Office invited students to hear a panel of three siblings who are UB Law School alumni:Michael O’Neill, J.D. ’82, general counsel and chief legal officer for Avnet, a global technology company; Peter O’Neill, J.D. ’84, a partner in Murnane and O’Neill, a general practice in Anne Arundel County, and their sister, Kathleen A. O’Neill, J.D. ’81, head of the Civilian Personnel Law and Special Projects Section in the Office of Counsel at the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA).
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Although the three siblings grew up in the same household and attended the UB School of Law around the same time—Mike and Pete even had a class together— they found their own distinct paths in the legal profession after law school.
When asked what qualities most helped them on their path, or which qualities they most look for in new lawyers, the family had a lot of great advice for students. Peter O’Neill, whose firm focuses on criminal and civil matters, stressed the importance of compassion, a strong work ethic, and sacrifice when it comes to working with clients. He said he’s grateful for the work he does on behalf of his clients, realizing that often he’s making a difference in their lives, not just by working their cases, but by interacting with them and helping them turn their lives around when the opportunity is presented.
Kate O’Neill, who started working for the federal government shortly after earning her J.D., encouraged students to show up prepared and ready to work. Hand in only your best writing, she said — no first drafts! She reminded students that there’s no way a new lawyer is going to know everything on day one. In fact, all three siblings stressed that they still learn every single day.
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The important thing for young lawyers to remember, they said, is to do their research when applying for a job, come into an interview enthusiastic and ready to work, and be prepared to learn from your colleagues.
Mike O’Neill, who held leadership roles at Canadian Helicopter Corp., Lenovo and Honeywell before joining Avnet, said that his success has come down to keeping his eyes open to new opportunities and the strengths of those around him. He credits much of his success to building a team of skilled and hard-working colleagues, with whom he has worked in various roles over the past two decades.
For all their different paths, there was a central takeaway from the three panelists: Always be willing to work hard and learn something new.
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Peter litigates complex business cases. His ability to simplify complex issues and provide cogent advice results in favorable outcomes for clients. Peter’s
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