O’Neil LLP was established in 1993, when its founding partners – all of whom had practiced together at another well-known firm in Orange County – decided to establish a better model for client-focused, cost-effective, sophisticated legal services.
O’Neil LLP traces its origins to the international law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. In 1987, Gibson Dunn experienced its first significant departure of a group of partners in its 97-year history, when 17 attorneys in its Orange County office left to form Pettis, Tester, Kruse & Krinsky. That firm focused its representation on some of California’s leading corporate, real estate and development businesses, doing so in a more personal and efficient setting while creating a superior working environment for its attorneys and staff.
PTKK flourished in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. The firm grew quickly, establishing itself as a premier law firm – well regarded among its peers and clients alike. In 1993, nine attorneys from the firm started their own practice, now O’Neil LLP, with a renewed focus on value-added, strategic problem solving and sophisticated client counseling. This new group provided cost-effective lawyering, quick and attuned responsiveness to client needs and a commitment to the fundamental professional values associated with the earlier years of the most respected law firm partnerships (before the era of the large law firm “corporation”).
From its outset, the attorneys of O’Neil LLP have represented a variety of blue-chip companies, primarily in corporate, securities, real estate, land use, natural resources, environmental and public financing law.
In 2009, at the dawn of a new decade, the firm changed its name; Hewitt & O’Neil became simply O’Neil LLP. Our mission and philosophy of client counseling remains the same, as do our practice areas. The firm continues to advise its clients in the areas of corporate, securities, real estate, land use, public finance, natural resources, environmental, litigation and insolvency.