David O’Neil, litigation partner at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and Co-Chair of the White Collar & Regulatory Defense Group, has been named one of three finalists for “Attorney of the Year” by The National Law Journal. The award honors leading lawyers who have made their mark on the profession, and in the law, with an achievement in the past year that goes beyond service to the client. The winner will be announced at The National Law Journal Legal Awards on October 24, 2024 at the Fairmont Washington, D.C. – Georgetown.

Mr. O’Neil achieved landmark victories across all three branches of government in the past year and is widely regarded as one of the nation’s premier litigators, with extensive courtroom experience including numerous federal trials and arguments before the Supreme Court. His work over the year has expanded protection for free speech, promoted the integrity of the electoral process, enhanced protections for minor athletes, and defended bipartisan reforms to the criminal justice system. Mr. O’Neil has previously been recognized by The American Lawyer as a Litigator of the Year, by The National Law Journal as a Litigation Trailblazer, and by Law360 as a White Collar MVP of the Year. He served for nearly a decade as a senior official at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he supervised more than 600 attorneys investigating and prosecuting the full range of federal crimes.

Debevoise’s award-winning White Collar & Regulatory Defense Group is ranked as one of the world’s top practices by Global Investigations Review and as Band 1 by Chambers on both sides of the Atlantic for its complex representations of clients facing litigation and public policy crises, as well as Band 1 in the U.S. for securities enforcement and anti-corruption. Selected by Chambers USA as the 2024 Criminal Litigation Law Firm of the Year, by Global Investigations Review in 2023 as Most Impressive Litigation Practice of the Year, by Law360 as a 2021 White Collar Practice Group of the Year, and by Benchmark Litigation as the 2022 White Collar Firm of the Year, the Group has been involved in some of the most significant investigations, litigations and resolutions in recent memory. The practice offers international and domestic clients a depth of experience and global reach that allows for effective and strategic counsel.