O’Neal & Brown, P.C. helps people with claims arising from injury or death. It began with earlier law firms in which H.T. O’Neal, Jr. (1926-1983) was a principal participant. Mr. O’Neal was a widely respected trial lawyer and former prosecutor who was lead counsel in many of Middle Georgia’s most celebrated trials in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s.
Who We Are
H.T. “Hank” O’Neal was not only a great criminal lawyer (successfully using the Anatomy of a Murder defense in two celebrated acquittals he spearheaded)but was also an innovative civil litigator, particularly in the area of wrongful death and personal injury trials.
Mr. O’Neal was among the first plaintiff’s attorney in Middle Georgia to use courtroom mock up exhibits (model of a bridge, automobile parts, propane tanks, etc.) and expert witnesses in the area of economics, engineering and medicine. Under his leadership, the firm successfully experimented with and used “day in the life” videos (to illustrate disability), video depositions and accident reconstructionists with engineering backgrounds, many years before this became a common practice.Mr. O’Neal was joined in his practice by Manley F. Brown in 1969.
Mr. Brown is one of the founding partners of O’Neal & Brown. For half a century, he devoted his professional life to speaking up for clients who had no voice. He litigated hundreds of cases involving catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death throughout the State of Georgia. Manley had obtained many jury verdicts in excess of a million dollars. In addition to his personal injury cases, Manley also obtained a $20,000,000.00 recovery in a corporate fraud case, which included a substantial punitive damages award. All told, under his guidance, the firm has secured verdicts and recoveries in excess of $150 million dollars for its clients. In addition to his trial work, Manley has successfully handled many appellate cases, including a case in the United States Supreme Court. Webb v. Webb, 101 S. Ct. 1889, 451 U.S. 493 (1981).
Manley is a long time fellow of both the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. In 1972, he designed the first trial advocacy course ever taught at the Mercer University Law School and taught it for more than 40 years. He also served as Chairman of the State Disciplinary Board and the Board of Bar Examiners.
Philip M. Brown joined the firm as an associate in 1995. He became a partner in 2001.
Contact Us
Please contact us for a free appointment to discuss your case. We can come to you if it is not possible for you to come to our office. We work almost exclusively on a contingency fee basis, which means that we only get paid if we recover money for you.