austinbar.org FEBRUARY 2023 | VOLUME 32, NUMBER 1
A Winding Path to Today’s Practice BY DOUG O’CONNELL
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fter serving as a prosecutor in the Travis County Attorney’s Office, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office and finally the U.S. Attorney’s Office, I had assumed I would have a fairly typical criminal defense practice. I was wrong.
10th Special Forces Group and to Afghanistan with the U.S. Special Operations Command. In addition, I served in Washington, D.C., New York, and other locations with Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), including roles with the FBI’s Manhattan-based Joint Terrorism Task Force, dealing with
What I had once envisioned as a typical criminal defense practice has become a firm that advocates for its clients within the criminal and civil justice systems, but combines the framework of military expertise and strategic problem solving, with the understanding of what it takes to look at a problem beyond the traditional litigation lens. Recalled to active duty after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, I stepped away from private practice and returned full-time to work with the U.S. Army. Unbeknownst to even myself at the time, I was also creating the framework and expertise for my current legal practice. I deployed to Iraq with the Army’s
terrorism-related cases arising out of the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Prior to my military retirement, I also commanded a theater-level Special Operations unit in the Texas Army National Guard, which focused on enhancing the counterterrorism capacity of African countries facing threats from Boko Haram,
Al-Qaida, ISIS, and other violent extremist groups. In this capacity, I deployed to multiple countries in Northwest Africa to help bolster their internal defense capabilities. During my military career, I earned two master’s degrees, one in Homeland Security from the Naval Postgraduate school and the other in National Security/Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. The U.S. Government also granted me a top-secret clearance, which furthers access to information classified as “Sensitive Compartmentalized.” I currently use this clearance in representing defense contracting companies working on classified programs. In 2017, I retired from the Army as a Colonel with a combined 30 years of active duty,
Army Reserve, and National Guard service. Through my reputation in the military and my tenacious defense of military personnel, I have been fortunate to earn a national reputation as one of the premier defense attorneys for military personnel accused of misconduct. One of my first cases after re-entering private practice was representing a National Guard solider under investigation for fraud in connection with an Army recruiting scandal. One recruiting scandal client led to several clients, which eventually led to hundreds of clients. Along the way, I was shocked by the massive injustice and wholesale disregard for due process. My advocacy saved many under continued on page 7