Joseph A. O’Brien of Scranton, a prominent attorney in Lackawanna County for 50 years, died Monday at age 80 in a hospital after a sudden illness.
A partner for 47 years at the Oliver Price & Rhodes law firm in South Abington Twp., O’Brien had a distinguished career with extensive experience in civil and municipal law and criminal defense law.
A former solicitor for Lackawanna County from 1984-2004, O’Brien in recent years also was a solicitor for the city of Scranton. He served as a solicitor for several municipalities over the years.
O’Brien continued working, both for the city in a solicitor role and in private practice, until his death. Last month, he helped secure for the city successful challenges, pursued jointly with the Scranton School District, of the tax-exempt statuses of four nonprofit entities. Last week, O’Brien was a defense attorney in a federal criminal trial. It started Thursday and he was working at home on that case Saturday night when he fell ill.
O’Brien also was busy last week raising money for the local “Code Blue” program that provides shelter for homeless residents in times of frigid weather, said his longtime friend and law partner Jim Reid.
Known for a keen intellect and encyclopedic knowledge of the law, O’Brien also could be “wickedly funny,” said Reid, who had known O’Brien since the 1960s. They became partners at the Oliver Price & Rhodes law firm on the same day and remained partners for 47 years and 45 days, right up until O’Brien’s death, Reid said.
The eldest of five children, O’Brien and two of his three brothers followed in the footsteps of their father in becoming lawyers.
Reid recalled that a contemporary of theirs had described O’Brien as “the best lawyer in the last 50 years, because he could do anything — he could try a civil case, he could try a criminal case, estates, municipal law, election law.”
“It’s been very meaningful to me to be his partner all these years,” Reid said. “Never a cross word to me. Never a cross word to anybody. He was totally indifferent to recognition.”
Former Lackawanna County Commissioner Joe Corcoran, who was in office from 1984 to 2004, when O’Brien was solicitor, also recalled O’Brien as “probably one of the most learned, effective and knowledgeable attorneys in the law.”
In 2014, O’Brien was instrumental in arguing against a change in the county form of government, Corcoran recalled. In a referendum that year, voters soundly rejected a proposal to scrap the three-member Board of Commissioners and replace it with an elected executive and seven-member council.
“When he was committed to something, he could be very forceful and successful,” Corcoran said. “I think he was a very integral part in convincing the public in keeping the county government the way it is.”
“Plus, he was a good living soul. He set an example for a lot of people, the way he lived his life and the way he practiced law,” Corcoran said. “Joe leaves a great legacy for his family, and his friends — for all of us.”
Attorney Joseph O’Brien, representing the current county government system, debates attorney Frank Ruggiero, general counsel, Lackawanna County Government Study Commission, during a debate hosted by the Lackawanna County Taxpayers Association at Scranton City Hall on Tuesday, March 18, 2014. (FILE PHOTO)
Joseph A. O’Brien, 80, Scranton. (SUBMITTED)
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Attorney Joseph O’Brien, representing the current county government system, debates attorney Frank Ruggiero, general counsel, Lackawanna County Government Study Commission, during a debate hosted by the Lackawanna County Taxpayers Association at Scranton City Hall on Tuesday, March 18, 2014. (FILE PHOTO)