James W. Obrien

1927 - 2022

October 4, 1927 - August 12, 2022 James W. Obrien, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully at home in Corona del Mar on August 12, 2022 at the age of 94. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Mavis, daughter Margi, son Jim, grandsons Porter, Cooper, and Ellis, granddaughter Isabel, and great-granddaughter Ada.
Jim grew up in Los Angeles, attended Los Angeles High School, the Menlo School and graduated from USC, where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity. He went on to graduate from Hasting College of Law, where he served as an editor of the Law Review. Before beginning his career in the law, he served in both World War II and the Korean War, in the latter as a Naval aviation intelligence officer, circling the globe on aircraft carriers.
Jim had a keen intellect, tempered with compassion, an enduring sense of fairness, and a strong desire to give back to the community. He involved himself in varied organizations. He served as president of the West Orange County YMCA, President of the Bowers Museum Foundation and the Orange County Bar Association. He was the 1991 recipient of the Orange County Bar Franklin G. West Award for his lifetime achievements advancing justice and the law.

He believed that because the practice of law had made a wonderful life for his family, he owed something to his profession in return. Beginning in 1967, after the family moved from Los Angeles to Orange County, he began serving on the Board of Directors of the Orange County Bar Association. In 1987, he was elected to the Board of Governors of the State Bar of California. He also served on the California Commission on Judicial Performance and went on to be appointed presiding judge for the State Bar Court. Colleagues valued his ability to cut through the extraneous and uncover the heart of the matter, while treating everyone with the utmost respect.
In 1980, he joined a small group of judges and lawyers to help mobilize pro bono legal services for low-income residents in Orange County, and Amicus Publico was born. It later became the Public Law Center, working to address systemic injustices harming the poor. He had a heartfelt belief that justice should serve all equally, and worked to tear down the barrier of poverty on the path to equal justice.
While his professional accomplishments were important, they paled in comparison to his commitment to his family. He was a passionate skier, first skiing at Mammoth in the 1940s, when Dave McCoy was running a movable rope tow with a car engine. He made sure that his children developed a love for the sport, and the family made countess trips to Mammoth and resorts across the Rocky Mountains.
Throughout his life he found new things to spark his interest; he and Mavis developed a keen interest in contemporary art, and travelled extensively. He became a master chef who enjoyed cooking for family and friends (Mavis ensured a lovely presentation), and after his retirement he surprised us all by becoming an accomplished woodworker.
He leaves a world better for his years of service and a family eternally grateful for his guidance and extraordinary example. His last years were altered by Alzheimer's Disease, but even as he gradually (and sometimes painfully) left us, his warm-hearted essence always shone through. He suffered the difficulties of this terrible disease with grace, rediscovering a new wonder at the simple beauties and kindnesses of life.
He was the finest of gentlemen and the very best of the greatest generation. Our hearts are filled with love and gratitude.
There will be a private ceremony.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be made to:
Publiclawcenter.org