O'Neill and Company

Overview

Experienced attorney with expertise in internatiional trade, international corporate affairs, international tax, and business regulation, especially as with regards to communications and information technology.  

Diverse practice experience in commodities trading, corporate law, business strategy, intellectual property, technology policy and regulation, product development/management and business development, as well as the management and administration of global businesses.

Nationality - Dual USA and Irish

Current Experience

O’Neill and Company, Dublin, Ireland and New York, 1994-Present

Founder and Managing Partner

O’Neill and Company provides legal and policy advice and legal services to a broad range of international governmental and corporate clients on matters pertaining to international contracts, international trade, legal and financial organization, corporate governance, regulatory affairs, business planning, business acquisitions, contract negotiations and international organizational structure.  Major projects and clients include:

 SITA, Paris and Geneva – Outside legal counsel and advisor to the Director General, the Board of Directors and the General Assembly on matters relating to the restructuring of the organization, corporate organization and governance future financing, impact of deregulation and reregulation, and planning for change and the future.

Stentor Limited, Dublin, Ireland – Principal legal advisor (and Director) to this, the first competitive Irish telecommunications company.  Led the financing of the company through its initial and secondary offerings on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in London, and its sale to Energis Limited.

Equant N.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Outside Counsel, and principal advisor to the Chief Executive, the Management Board and the Board of Directors.  I was instrumental in creating and establishing the organization and structure of Equant so as to minimize tax and maximize organizational and regulatory efficiency.  Led the financing of Equant through joint venture funding from Morgan Stanley Capital Partners to the management of an Initial Public Offering in New York and Paris.  Equant, which to a substantial degree invented the virtual private network communications business, has become one of the most successful new telecommunications companies in history, raising over nine billion dollars for its investors, and growing from 15 million in revenues in 1992 to over two billion in 2001.  In 2001 the majority of the shares in Equant were sold to France Telecom.

QoS Networks Limited, Dublin, Ireland – Legal Advisor and Director. Founded, structured and obtained over $50 million in funding for the first global native internet protocol network services providers.  Created subsidiaries and obtained communications licenses in twenty-three countries and oversaw the construction and initiation of a 20 country telecommunications network with 23 national organizations in less than ten months. 

The Government and Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus – Advised on the migration of the Electricity Authority's extensive domestic network into a commercial telecommunications company.

RASSA Inc, New York, London and Buenos Aires – Advised on the internationalization of this regional airlines services and reservations organization.

Fastnet Broadband Limited – A provider of wired and wireless broadband service in Ireland and the Uniteid Kingdom

Teocom Limited, London– A broadband services company in the UK.

Soltex Limited, Muscat, Oman – A rapidly growing oil field services company. With operations throughout the gulf.

United Petroleum Company W.L.L., Kuwait and Dubai- International counsel to this global oil trading company.

Africanised Group Ltd Pty., Johannesburg, South Africa - South African based mining and trading firm, active throughout Africa.

Merchant Petroleum L.L.P., London – A medium sized petroleum trading firm.

Education

University of Missouri, Columbia Missouri, 1964-1966.

University of Maryland, College Park Maryland, 1968-1970

BA Economics.

Georgetown University, Washington D.C., 1971

Graduate Program in International Affairs

University of Baltimore School of Law, 1973-1975

Juris Doctor

Harvard University School of Law, 1976

Summer Program

Experience

The National Security Agency, Fort Mead Maryland, Sergeant US Army Security Agency, 1966-1970 

Served at NSA, Fort Meade, Maryland and various overseas postings. Responsible for a regionally focused signals intelligence and cryptography unit. Top Secret Codeword security clearance.

 United States Information Agency, Washington D.C. and New Delhi, India 1970-1973, Executive Fellow 

Participant in the Executive Fellows program. Assigned to the U.S. Information Agency where I served as Assistant to the Public Affairs Officer, New Delhi, India and as a Budget Analyst and Director of Budget Planning in Washington, D.C. Member of the Director’s Young Officers Policy Panel reporting to the Director Frank Shakespeare and his deputy Henry Loomis.  In addition, I was tasked with several special projects including the reorganization of the global budgeting and funds allocation process and the reform of the budgeting and funding of the Voice of America.

Executive Office of the President of the United States, Office of Telecommunications Policy, Washington D.C. 1974-1978, Director of Administration, then Deputy Director and Director of Policy.

Served in the last year of President Richard Nixon’s second term, and through the Ford and early years of the Carter Administrations in the Office of Telecommunications Policy reporting directly to the Director.  Closely involved in the development of national and international policies, regulations and laws relating to telecommunications, including the deregulation of the US telecommunications industry.  Extensive interaction with senior Presidential policy staff and various political parties and groups, telecommunications organizations and firms, the Federal Communications Commission and the Congress. 

United States Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration  Washington, D.C.  1978-1981, Associate Chief Counsel 

Played a key role in the drafting of Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1977 and implementing EO 12046, March 27, 1978 which created this new Commerce Department Administration focused on national and international telecommunications and information policy.  Participated in the deregulation and liberalization of international telecommunications.  Instrumental in several legislative and deregulatory initiatives working closely with the Executive Office of the President, international organizations, the Federal Communications Commission and the telecommunications industry.         

Advanced Computer Techniques Inc. (ACT), New York, NY, 1981-1983. Legal Counsel/Legal Advisor

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, Charles Lecht, and to the Board of Directors of this public company.  I was responsible for the development of a legal, regulatory and technical consulting group advising US and international industry on major information technology and telecommunications technology trends, laws and regulations.  Involved extensively in the development of an international software and consulting business in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Technology Analysis Group, New York and Washington D.C. 1983-1986. Managing Partner

Developed a significant international consulting and advisory practice. Became a key advisor to NTT, Cable and Wireless, Toshiba, Fujitsu, and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of Japan on technology trends and national and international legal and regulatory issues.  Founded and chaired the Pan-American Technology Policy Forum and served on several technology oriented committees of the US National Science Foundation, the White House and the American Bar Association.  Organized, on behalf of the commerce Department and the Congress a major trade initiative with Japan for U.S. companies.

Fenwick, Stone, Davis and West, Palo Alto, CA and Washington D.C., 1983-1986, Washington Counsel

Washington legal representative of this Palo Alto, California based law firm.  Active in a number of trade cases and proceedings before the Commerce Department, Federal Trade Representative, and the Federal Trade Commission representing international corporations.

Winston and Strawn, Chicago and Washington D.C., 1986-1988 Partner

Headed the firms international telecommunications practice responsible representing and advising clients such as NTT, the Great Wall Satellite Company, PacSat, SITA, the Government of Jamaica, the Government of Aruba, Cable and Wireless, The Caribbean Tourism Association, Toshiba and others.

 Societe International de Telecommunications Aeronautique (SITA), Paris France 1988-1994, Secretary General/General Counsel

Responsible for legal affairs, governance and policy matters at the airline industry owned international non-governmental organization, reporting to the Director General and the Board of Directors. Responsible the management of the legal affairs of the organization including all contracting activities, negotiating service and licensing arrangements, managing outside legal services. Specifically tasked with the commercialization of SITA’s services and the development of a strategy and structure for a business outside of the airline community.

Other

Recipient Distinguished Service Award, Executive Office of the President of the United States, 1976

Listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the World and Who’s Who in Ireland

Admitted of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States, the District of Columbia and the State of Maryland.