Michael O'Neal

Deputy Chief Title Counsel - Public Policy & Government Affairs
First American Title Insurance Co

Michael O’Neal is Deputy Chief Title Counsel for Public Policy and Government Affairs and part of the Corporate Underwriting Department at First American Title. With more than two decades of experience in the title insurance and settlement industry, Michael graduated with an A.B. in Government from Georgetown University, received a graduate certificate in National Security Studies from the Institute of World Politics, holds an M.A. in Middle Eastern History from Tel Aviv University, and earned a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.

Michael has extensive expertise in the areas of real property and commercial law. He is a frequent speaker on current technological, legal, and political trends affecting the title insurance industry. A past president of the District of Columbia Land Title Association (DCLTA) (2019–2021), he is an active member of the American Land Title Association (ALTA) where he currently serves as Vice Chair of the Underwriter Section Executive Committee and is an active participant on the Forms Committee, the Native American Lands Work Group, the Government Affairs Committee, the State Legislative/Regulatory Action Committee, and the Data Privacy Work Group.

Michael has received numerous awards for his leadership in the title industry and academic achievement. Recognizing his extensive work on state and federal legislation to promote remote online notarization (RON) around the country, Michael was a co-recipient of First American’s DPK Leadership Award for 2018; in 2021 he received the ALTA Our Values Award for industry leadership; and in 2024 he was awarded the Anne L. Anastasi Trailblazer Award for Outstanding Achievement and Innovation by the Pennsylvania Land Title Association (PLTA). Graduating at the top of his class at The George Washington University Law School, he received both the John Bell Larner Award for the highest cumulative average for the degree of Juris Doctor and the Anne Wells Branscomb Award for the highest cumulative average in the evening division.

A native of Florida, Michael lives and works in Washington, DC. He may be reached at [email protected].