#JusticeinPimaCounty: Week 46
It is with great delight that we announce the hiring of Rebecca O’Brien (pictured) into the PCAO Torts Unit of our Civil Division. After clerking for Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Jones, Rebecca handled major litigation for Rusing, Lopez & Lizardi for 18 years. It is an extraordinary coup to have the weight of her skills, experience, and her sharp legal mind join us here in civil service.
As Rebecca told me, “It was time to lend what I could in support of the community, and I am looking forward to helping achieve justice for Pima County.”
This extraordinary hire comes at the right time as we continue to build up our all-important Torts Unit, just as we promised, and the County Administrator’s Office is quite pleased. And, importantly, as we always say: We hire good attorneys and great human beings. Rebecca is no exception. In her legal career alone, she has devoted years of work as a 9th Circuit pro bono lawyer, serving those with critical appeals issues who cannot afford an attorney. That work, specifically, involved two appeals that finally resulted in reversal of a deportation order for a military veteran, who came across the border with his parents at age 4 and would otherwise be considered a Dreamer today. Additionally, Rebecca served for several years on the Board of the Tucson chapter of Los Amigos de las Americas, an organization that provides mentorship to youth leaders from all over the country who travel to Latin American countries annually to provide much needed support to underserved communities.
And, as a lover of all things musical, I have to point out Rebecca is an accomplished musician (it was actually her first career) who played flute professionally with the San Diego Chamber Orchestra. She became a paralegal to support her musical career and ended up loving the law. She came to Tucson as a single mom of two daughters, who were 2 and 4 at the time, to attend UA Law and be closer to her parents. Her kids are now grown and on opposite coasts; one works for a startup in LA, and the other is a third-year med student at the University of Virginia.
Rebecca, welcome, and thank you so much for giving us the gift of your talents to Pima County.
To Be Continued,
Laura
