Gerard William O'Brien

Gerard W. O'Brien, or Jerry O'Brien as he is more commonly known, is a California licensed attorney who began practice in June, 1991.

Jerry earned a Bachelor's Degree in History at Brooklyn College in 1979. During his education he had the privilege of studying with Professor Edwin Burrows, Pulitzer Prize winning author of “GOTHAM.”

After graduating from Brooklyn College Jerry went into the culinary arts field, cooking professionally in New York City, Paris France, and Orange County, California.

In 1980 Jerry participated in the New York Restaurant School's Culinary Arts Program. Two days after finishing the program, Jerry went to France to work as Chef of the MacAdam Restaurant in Paris, where he spent all of 1981.  Returning to the USA, Jerry cooked in both New York City and Orange County California.

Jerry created the Parties by Panache Web Site, which gets about 16,000 visits per month and published "The Panache Experience", which until the end of 2007; the Panache Experience ran for 37 issues.

Jerry has written two novels, “The Sweet Water”, and “A Field Guide to the Angels in Brooklyn”.  He is currently seeking publication of “A Field Guide to the Angels in Brooklyn” . Jerry published the critically acclaimed “O'Brien's Literary Speculator”.

 Jerry completed a certificate program in fiction writing at Cal State Fullerton. Mr. O'Brien has over twenty five interviews, articles, and reviews published .

Pertaining to the practice of law:
In 1987 Jerry began Law School at Western State University, College of Law from which he graduated in the top quarter of his class in 1990. Jerry won an AmJur award for Bankruptcy and placed first in his class in Community Property. Mr. O'Brien conducted a solo legal practice in Brea, CA from 1991 to 2000, at which point he went in-house at his family's business Parties By Panache, Inc. While counsel at Parties by Panache Jerry undertook several projects relating to marketing in addition to over seeing contracts, corporate, employment law matters.

Member of the California State Bar Association

- Trust and Estates Section
- Business Law Section

Member of the Orange County Bar Association

- Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Section
- Tax Law
- Trusts and Estates

Member of Wealth Counsel, LLC

- Mr. O'Brien teaches a course on Estate Planning and Wealth Transfer for Financial Professionals