Jim O’Neill has devoted his career to one thing: justice for the people of Forsyth County.

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A veteran prosecutor, Jim began serving in the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office in 1997. A graduate of Duke University, he earned his law degree from New York Law School before returning to the community he loves to spend his career in the courtroom. Over the years, Jim has prosecuted some of the most serious and violent offenders in our community, always guided by the same principle: to represent the State with integrity and professionalism while protecting victims and their rights.

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Governor Bev Perdue appointed Jim Forsyth County District Attorney in November 2009, and voters have entrusted him with the job ever since. He has held numerous leadership roles in the office, serving as chief motor vehicle prosecutor and as Forsyth County’s first dedicated Domestic Violence prosecutor, standing up for some of the most vulnerable victims in our community.

As District Attorney, Jim has never been content to simply manage the docket. He launched a prosecution program targeting sex offenders living in our community and created a dedicated effort to focus resources on chronic, repeat criminal offenders, the small number of people responsible for so much of the crime we all feel. And through his District Attorney’s Treatment Alternatives (DATA) program, he has taken on the opioid epidemic head-on, helping non-violent addicts break the cycle of addiction and become productive, employed members of the community.

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More Than a Prosecutor

Jim believes in giving back to the community he serves. He has volunteered his time as head coach of the boys’ lacrosse team at R.J. Reynolds High School, and has served on the boards of Hospice, the Industries for the Blind, SCAN, and Senior Services. To many families around Winston-Salem, he’s not just the D.A. — he’s “the lacrosse coach.”

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Jim and his wife, Dr. Oona O’Neill, are the proud parents of three children, two daughters and a son. Like their dad, all three are dedicated lacrosse players. It’s that combination, a tough, experienced prosecutor and a devoted neighbor, coach, and father, that makes Jim O’Neill the right person to keep serving as Forsyth County’s District Attorney.

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“I’ve been an advocate for victims for more than two decades. You don’t understand what it’s like to hold the hand of a victim’s family until you’ve done it and that experience is exactly what this office demands.”