Stewart O'Connell
Special Counsel
Stewart has 30 years of experience as a lawyer and advocate. He has been with O’Brien’s for 18 years.
He has a reputation for developing a strong tactical approach, achieving excellent outcomes and ensuring that his clients are well informed and supported throughout the process.
He has represented thousands of people in court and has an outstanding success rate in jury trials, Local Court hearings, bail applications, District Court appeals, and Local and Supreme Court bail applications.
He has represented hundreds of people in defamation claims. He was responsible for the highest defamation award in the Northern Territory and a High Court case that changed defamation law by making media companies responsible for comments others made on their social media accounts.
He has also represented hundreds of people in civil claims against the police, including at mediation and in trial.
He has also been a strong advocate for clients in Royal Commissions, ICAC proceedings and Government Inquiries, and is a highly regarded external academic at the Australian National University.
Stewart understands the stress that comes with legal proceedings and does all he can to help people navigate that by providing clear, considered advice and a compassionate ear.
He has a passion for justice and strongly believes that people from all walks of life should have access to it.
Stewart has worked as a criminal defence and defamation lawyer for over twenty years and has an enviable success rate.
During that time Stewart has:
- Appeared as a barrister in ten jury trials, winning nine;
- Represented a client who received the highest defamation award in Northern Territory Court history;
- Represented several defamation clients who have received speedy and significant compensation settlements;
- Represented thousands of clients on sentences, local court hearings, bail applications in the Local and Supreme Court and appeals;
- Worked in the pressure cooker environment of the Aboriginal Legal Services for thirteen years;
- Ran the Northern Territory Legal Aid office in Katherine, Northern Territory;
- Won the National Children’s and Youth Law Centre’s National Award for Aboriginal Youth Lawyer of the Year in 2000;
- Was the Senior Project Officer on the Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in Aboriginal Communities in the Northern Territory;
- Represented several youth clients in the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory;
- Taught Criminal Law for the Australian National University for several years.
Stewart’s strength as an advocate begins with his empathy for his clients and his natural ability to talk “straight” and make sure clients understand the strengths of their case as well as its weaknesses and risks.
Stewart is always looking for a result that is the best and most efficient result for the client. To that end he is an excellent negotiator and has negotiated several compensation settlements in defamation and several charge and/or facts reductions in criminal matters.
If the matter does end up being fought out in court then Stewart always fights hard for his clients and ensures that the best possible defence is put forward.
- Defamation as a Weapon Against Systemic Racism?
- Inside the Northern Territory intervention
- Stewart O’Connell has represented clients in defamation matters against well-known media and press organisations, including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mail, 7News, and The Financial Review,
plus many more. - Read Stewart’s latest defamation Case Studies, many against high-profile media organisations.
