AGE: 37 TOWN OF RESIDENCE: Chehalis EMPLOYER: Buzzard O’Rourke Law Firm – Offices in Centralia and Chehalis TITLE:
Owner/Partner
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: I am the President of the Board of the Visiting Nurses Foundation. I am a board member of my homeowner’s association. My wife and I annually host a mock trial event at the Law and Justice Center for Chehalis elementary students. I have coached my son’s sports teams over the years. I have volunteered at my son’s schools including participating in the Watch DOGS program.
FAMILY: My wife is Joely O’Rourke, who is a Lewis County Superior Court Judge. We have one son who I prefer to leave unnamed that attends Chehalis Middle School, our dog Turbo named after how he likes to behave, and our cat Jackie named after Jackie Robinson who is our son’s favorite baseball player.
WHAT DO YOU APPRECIATE MOST ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY? I started working in Lewis County 12 years ago and am a homeowner and permanent resident. I fell in love with Lewis County. The geography of the county is beautiful. I love the small town feel where the community is tight knit with football on Friday nights and running into friends at the grocery store. I love that we support each other and local businesses in our community and that while we are a small community, we are also a vibrant and growing community.
Photo By Heidi Marshall Photography
e n a h S e k r u O’Ro
WHO IS YOUR MENTOR AND WHAT IS ONE LESSON YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM THAT PERSON? Outside of my parents who gave a gargantuan effort to raise me and my four siblings, my professional mentor is former Judge Michael (Mike) Roewe. Judge Roewe was the first judge I ever met in Lewis County. He mentored me as a young prosecutor, he married my wife and I, and he has always been there to provide advice. The main lesson I learned from him is to embrace the community where you work and live and it will embrace you.
TELL US ONE HOBBY OR FACT THAT PEOPLE WOULD FIND INTERESTING ABOUT YOU. I was born in Dublin, Ireland and moved to the United States when I was six years old. I am proud of my Irish roots as they have shaped me to be the person I am today, and I am proud to have spent most of my life in the U.S.
DESCRIBE A DEFINING MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER. The defining moment of my career was when I decided to start a business and become my own boss. For the first six years of my legal career I worked in government as a prosecutor, which I loved. After switching to private practice, my current law partner and I decided to restructure his existing practice Buzzard and Associates to Buzzard O’Rourke. There is risk involved in being your own boss, including being responsible for growing a business and providing for your employees, but it is worth the risk. We have been blessed to watch our law firm grow and be able to expand to two law firms, located in Centralia and Chehalis. I am indebted to this community and do not take the support of our community lightly.
20 Under 40 • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, Wash. Thursday, March 12, 2020 • 19