Wielding the Gavel: Attorneys Cantara and O'Neil Nominated to Judgeships

Friday Jan 12, 2007

By: Kate Irish Collins
Staff Writer
Source: Sun Chronicle
Friday, January 12, 2007
Page: 3
 
Two local men – Michael Cantara of Biddeford, and John O’Neil, who grew up in Old Orchard Beach – will learn the week of Jan. 22 whether they will be appointed to the district court bench.
 
Gov. John Baldacci recently nominated Cantara and O’Neil, both former York County prosecutors, to judgeships.
 
“I am grateful for this opportunity to serve the people of Maine and look forward to the challenges this new job might bring,” Cantara said.
 
O’Neil said he wants to become a judge in order to make a difference in the lives of “a lot of people on a daily basis.”
 
“It also reduces my wardrobe options,” he added with a laugh.
 
The Legislature’s Judiciary Committee plans to hold confirmation hearings on Tuesday, Jan. 16 in Augusta. State Sen. Barry Hobbins (D-Saco) is the Senate chairman.
 
The full Senate is expected to vote on the judgeships during the week of Jan. 22.
 
If confirmed, Cantara and O’Neil would have no say about where they will be assigned. Chief Justice Leigh Soufley, of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, will make the specific court appointments. A district court judge serves a term of seven years.
 
Serving as a judge is a full-time job. Court is in session five days a week, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. But Cantara and O’Neil both said no matter what court they’re appointed to they would continue living in York County.
 
Cantara served as the York County district attorney for 13 years before being tapped by Baldacci to become commissioner of the Department of Public Safety in 2003.
 
While working as an attorney Cantara concentrated on criminal defense, personal injury and family law cases. In all, he has 21 years of courtroom experience in both civil and criminal litigation.
 
Cantara is also a former Biddeford mayor and was a member and chairman of the Biddeford Planning Board for three years.
 
He got his law degree from the University of Maine School of Law in Portland. Cantara also earned a master’s in French literature and French political science from Middlebury College in Vermont. In addition, he earned two bachelor’s degrees – one in French and one in biology – from Colby College in Waterville.
 
O’Neil is currently a partner at the law firm of Smith Elliott Smith & Garmey, with offices in Saco. He grew up in Old Orchard Beach, but now lives in Kennebunk with his wife and two children.
 
O’Neil earned his law degree from Suffolk University and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College. He initially wanted to be a math teacher, but his uncle, Lloyd LaFountain, was a well-known attorney in Biddeford and O’Neil decided to give a career in law a shot.
 
O’Neil has tried about 50 jury trials, mostly in medial malpractice and personal injury cases. He’s also served on a number of statewide committees, including the advisory committee to the Maine Supreme Court on rules of evidence.
 
O’Neil is a published author as well. Included in his work is a treatise published in the Maine Bar Journal on how attorneys can best survive their first jury trial.

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