By Rick Winterson

     Ted is known as a musician and restaurateur in South Boston.  But the versatile Mr. O’Brien’s true profession has been working as an attorney for the last 25 years.  And when necessary, he makes house calls.

     Ted O’Brien’s experience with various aspects of the law goes back close to 30 years.  His undergraduate degree from Boston College was in Economics, with a concentration in the economic aspects of labor union issues.  Ted then worked for his brother, Bob (also a lawyer), for a few years.

     In this capacity, Ted researched and prepared arbitration cases.  He became a member of the Massachusetts Board of Conciliation, the Labor/Management Committee, and then the National Mediation Board.  He realized that further progress in his profession would mean obtaining a law degree, so he enrolled in Suffolk Law in 1978.  He graduated from there in 1981 and passed his bar exam.

     For 18 years, Ted worked as an independent attorney, practicing general law.  He rented his office from the law firm Finneran, Byrne, and Dressler, but remained on his own.  He performed closings for the old South Boston Savings Bank, and he got a broker’s license along the way.  Combined with the preparation of wills, this led to a substantial amount of probate work on estates.

     Among his clients were Rich Martin and Larry Kiely.  They owned A&A Fisheries on L and Fifth Streets, which was originally run by the Audhe brothers (hence the name “A&A”).  In 1999, Rich and Larry called Ted to tell him they were putting A&A on the market, with the intention of having him handle the legal matters connected with the sale.  Ted and his wife Maureen, both of whom had always had a dream of running a restaurant, talked it over.  And so they bought in, changing the A&A name to “Red’s”.

     Ted still remembers the years at Red’s fondly.  “It was one of the best things we ever did,” he says.  They renovated the place together as a family, bringing in Crump paintings, local musicians, and a wonderful neighborhood clientele.  Their legendary ribs are still mentioned longingly now and then along L Street.  But the restaurant business requires long hours, and because profit margins are thin, downturns are hard to manage.  For some reason, the year 2001 marked a decline in many establishments around Boston.

     The upshot was that Red’s became “Kelly’s Landing” of seafood and fried clams fame. 

     Ted is now in a new law office that he recently opened in Hanover.  It’s just beyond the Hanover Mall at 1400 Washington Street (Route 53), roughly 25 minutes from here.  He is practicing general law again, with a particular emphasis on the areas where he is most experienced:  purchase and sale of real estate (including condo conversions); wills, trusts, and probate of estates; and labor/employment law, such as wrongful termination, discrimination, and retirement issues.

     More than half of Ted’s business is centered in South Boston.  He’s the type of person who likes to get out and about, so you’ll see him here frequently, often to meet with one of his clients.  Not only does he come to a client’s residence if required, he plans to open a small office in South Boston during 2006.

     As you may have guessed, Ted was born and brought up in South Boston.  His parents were Ted and Mary (McDonough).  He has a brother, Bob, and two sisters – Dotty Garrity and Kathy Eagar.

He went to Gate of Heaven School and then for two years to Christopher Columbus High in the North End.  He and his classmate friend Norm Crump decided to take a sabbatical from there and went on to graduate from South Boston High.  After that, Ted went to B.C. for his undergraduate degree in 1972.

     He’s been married for 26 years to Maureen (McGuire) O’Brien, who is also from South Boston.  Maureen is as multi-talented as Ted.  She was an LPN, and then got a dance degree at the Boston Conservatory.  She still teaches ballroom dancing occasionally.  In addition, Maureen is a seamstress with the Theater Union.

     The O’Briens have three children.  Kerry (21) is a budding chef.  After studying and working in Charleston, S. Car., with Johnson & Wales, she has landed a position at the prestigious No. 9 Park, working for Barbara Lynch.  Casey (19) attends New Rochelle’s Iona College for a business degree.  She wants to be an event planner.  Danny is a Junior at Milton High, where the O’Briens live.  His search for a college and a career has just begun.

     Ted’s other main interest is music.  He’s a self-taught performer on the guitar and blues harmonica, often sitting in with Bobby Dunlap and Kathi Taylor of “Slocum’s Window”.  You may also have seen him at the Cornerstone, where he played in a group known as the “Usual Suspects” – a great name for a lawyer’s group.  And he composes his own songs, too.

     You can get in touch with Ted at (617)828-4431.