In his day-long testimony, former ComEd general counsel Tom O’Neill got to the heart of the corruption allegations against Madigan and his co-defendant, Mike McClain.

O’Neill described the utility giant as one that, in July 2010, was in a “precarious financial position”: a company in desperate need of a new way to set customer rates.

Tasked with helping make that happen, O’Neill spent the next six and a half years going back and forth to Springfield, negotiating and drafting three major pieces of legislation that were instrumental in turning ComEd’s fortunes around.

“I’ve been asked frequently, if not constantly: Does the speaker support this? Or, where is the speaker on this?” O’Neill testified.

He said the company relied heavily on contract lobbyist McClain for access to Madigan.

“Mr. McClain had free access to the speaker’s suite,” said O’Neill, who continued to connect the dots for prosecutors.

They drew a direct line between the legislative pushes and a contract ComEd entered into in October 2011 with Reyes Kurson, a law firm run by Victor Reyes, a political ally of Madigan.

The contract was agreed upon just as the General Assembly voted to override Gov. Pat Quinn’s veto of ComEd’s first major legislative push. When O’Neill tried to cut the law firm’s schedule a few years later, while another ComEd bill was preparing to be voted on, ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore received an email from McClain.

“I’m sure you know how valuable Victor is to our friend,” McClain said. “I know the drill and so do you. If you don’t step in and solve this 850-hour problem for his law firm a year, then he’s going to our friend. Our friend will call me and then I will call you. Is this an exercise we have to go through?”

Prosecutors said the “friend” was Madigan.

The contract was eventually renewed a few months later, around the same time ComEd’s third major legislative action successfully concluded in Springfield. O’Neill returns to the witness stand on Tuesday, when he is expected to be cross-examined by defense lawyers.