Thomas J. O'Brien

Thomas Joseph O’Brien, 55, passed away from natural causes on April 17, 2016. Tom was born June 28, 1960 in Danville, Illinois, to Louis J. (deceased) and Marion (Johnson) O’Brien. He graduated from DePauw University (B.A. 1982) and from Southern Illinois University (J.D. 1986).

Tom began his legal career serving as an Attorney Examiner and as an Attorney Advisor for the Illinois Commerce Commission in Chicago. In 1995, Tom moved with his family to Columbus where he served as an attorney to the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel and then regulatory counsel at CoreComm Communications, Inc. In 2001, Tom joined the firm Bricker & Eckler, where he was a member of the Energy, Public Utilities and Environmental law group, with a practice emphasis of Telecommunications and Energy law.

Tom was a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and served on the Admissions Committee of the Columbus Bar Association. Tom was consistently listed in the Best Lawyers in America (Communications Law, Energy Law). In addition to the practice of law, Tom was a renaissance man who had a variety of interests including cycling, running, skiing, yardwork, reading about ancient Rome, and the Grateful Dead. Most of all, Tom loved spending time with his family.

Left to grieve his loss include his beloved wife, Amy Botschner O’Brien, and his three children who adored and loved him, Grace, Jack and Claire. In addition to Tom’s mother, wife and children, his survivors include two sisters, Kathleen and Susan (Kevin), and a brother, Michael (Anne), aunts, numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, brothers-in-law on his wife’s side, and many friends and colleagues. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

Services will be held on Monday, April 25 with calling hours from 11:00-1:00 and funeral at 1:00 at Our Lady of Victory Church, 1559 Roxbury Road, Columbus, OH 43212. Memorial gifts may be made by a donation to the Ohio Tuition Trust Authority fbo Claire O’Brien sent to Bricker & Eckler, 100 S. 3rd St., Columbus, OH 43215. Service arrangements have been entrusted to Schoedinger Northwest Chapel in Upper Arlington.