William J O'Neil
Honorable William O'Neil is the former Presiding Disciplinary Judge for Arizona, a position created by the Arizona Supreme Court's adoption of changes to the attorney discipline system in 2010. He has received multiple awards for his judicial work including the Arizona Supreme Court 2007 Improving Trust and Confidence in the Court Award and the 2015 Justice Michael D. Ryan Award for Judicial Excellence. Prior to serving as a Superior Court Judge for 20 years, Judge O'Neil served in private practice for 13 years. He was president of the Pinal County Bar Association in 1989. His one-person firm grew to the largest firm in Pinal County. His practice was busy, rewarding and stressful. He understands the struggle of deadlines, the temptation of compromise and the danger of situational ethics. He is aware of the common frailty of being so busy one doesn't take the time to properly process information and falters ethically. He also knows the keys to avoiding such lapses.
