Edward J. O’Donnell, IV

Edward J. O’Donnell, IV

TDP11978As a criminal defense attorney, Edward O’Donnell has obtained the best possible outcome for hundreds of criminal defendants since 1994.  He has taken dozens of cases to trial, winning full acquittals in dozens of trials.  More importantly, his thorough investigations have repeatedly persuaded prosecutors to either drop charges in full or offer overwhelmingly favorable plea deals for his clients.

Ed is known in the legal community for keeping his clients out of the media and the identity of his clients unknown.  While others in the profession prefer to advertise their clients problems and the subsequent results, Ed believes that his clients are often best served if nobody ever knows that a criminal defense lawyer was ever hired or needed.  In some cases however, media scrutiny is unavoidable and can even be beneficial to a client’s cause.  Ed is adept at handling his clients in the court of public opinion when appropriate.

Background

Edward J. O’Donnell IV was born and raised in Miami Shores, Florida.  He attended college in Iowa and after college interned with the U.S. House of Representatives Budget Committee and U.S. Congressman Bob Michel of Illinois, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.  Although Ed loves the Midwest and returns frequently, his home has always been South Florida.

In 1993, Ed returned to South Florida to attend law school.  While in law school, Ed focused his studies in criminal law interning for two years at the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office and spending a semester studying criminal law at the Institute on International and Comparative Law at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.

After law school, Ed served as an Assistant Public Defender in Miami for five years where he honed his courtroom skills and learned the behind the scenes courtroom practices.  While at the Public Defender’s Office, Ed was one of the few chosen to attend the National Criminal Defense College at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.  In 2001, Ed entered private practice.

Practice Areas

Ed’s practice is exclusive to compliance and criminal defense matters.  He has successfully represented a range of clients on various issues from corporations and executives charged with complex financial frauds to National Football League players charged with assault and battery to select individuals accused of driving under the influence.  Over the past five years alone, Ed has obtained full acquittals for clients charged with federal money laundering, federal tax fraud, federal bulk cash smuggling, federal mortgage fraud, and state charges including manslaughter, real estate fraud, driving under the influence, attempting to bring a weapon onto an airplane, along with many others.

Ed separates himself from his competition through his tireless research and investigation into each and every fact of the case at hand and all possible defenses.  He believes that no case is hopeless and that every defendant deserves an aggressive defense.

Affiliated Associations

Ed is a member of the executive board of the Federal Bar Association’s South Florida Chapter, a member of the National Association for Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Florida Bar.

  • Practice Area: Compliance Law and Complex criminal litigation
  • Education: Loras College, Dubuque, IA, St. Thomas University School of Law, Miami, FL

Court Admissions

Florida, 1997

Montana, 2022

U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 2003

U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, 2001

U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, 2006