James F. O’Brien

First Year of Call

Areas of Practice
Business & Corporate Law, Mediation, Real Estate, Wills and Estates

Description
Jim has practiced in Belleville, Ontario, since 1971, joining the firm as a partner in 1994. He has an extensive practice in Real Estate, Wills and Estates as well as Corporate and Business matters. He also provides Mediation Services under the heading “Civil Solutions”.

A native of Belleville, Jim received his Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Patrick’s College, Ottawa in 1966 and his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ottawa in 1969. He also holds Dispute Resolution Certificates from the University of Windsor, Faculty of Law.

Jim has held several positions with the Ontario Bar Association , including President. He is a Director and Past President of the Hastings Law Association and has served the Law Society of Ontario in various capacities. In 2004, Jim received the Distinguished Service Award from the Ontario Bar Association. He also served for many years as Chair of the Advancement of Legal Education and Research Trust (“ALERT”) now the Ontario Bar Foundation.

For several years, Jim acted as Chair of the Board of Management of the Belleville Downtown Improvement Area and was a member of the Mayor’s Taskforce on Downtown Belleville.