By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer

Assistant Osceola County Attorney Heather K. O’Brien was appointed Aug. 2 by Gov. Charlie Crist to serve as a judge on the Osceola County Court.

O’Brien, 33, replaces Judge Ronald A. Legendre, who retired earlier this year. O’Brien will be one of four county judges and will handle civil cases such as small claims issues, landlord/tenant disputes, animal control problems and civil traffic infractions. She said she plans to start within the next month.

O’Brien said attorneys often aspire to become judges, “the pinnacle of our profession.”

“I think I’m very honored and blessed to be a judge at such a ripe age but in this circuit, it’s not uncommon. Experience matters but it’s also what you draw from those experiences,” she said. “I think I come from a background a lot of people can identify with that presents empathy, but I’m also a big proponent to the rule of the law. I’d consider it a balance and a blend of fairness and keeping people responsible for their actions.”

O’Brien had dreamed of being an attorney and serving people through the court system since she was a child.

“It’s the only thing I ever wanted to be. I don’t know if it was my grandmother making me watch ‘L.A. Law’ or something,” she said. “I’ve always been 100 percent committed to public interest.”

To make the switch from attorney to judge, O’Brien is not only drawing from her experiences but also using the variation of topics she’s had to research and analyze to aid in the transition.

“Being a county government attorney is an incredible experience. The things I encounter are so wide and complex and varied,” O’Brien said. “It’s very much like what a judge has to do on a daily basis. They’re really quite compatible.”

O’Brien previously worked as a staff attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, of which Osceola County is a part, and as an assistant public defender in Orlando.

“It’s going to be bittersweet. (Osceola County attorney) Jo Thacker deserves a lot of credit for doing great things to teach me,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien has worked for the county’s attorney office since 2007.

“It has been a privilege having Heather on our team, and we will certainly miss her. We are so proud of what she has accomplished and we look forward to working with her as she assumes her new role as county court judge,” Thacker said.

Originally from Colorado Springs, O’Brien moved to Central Florida in the middle of the 2004 hurricane season. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Colorado College, where she graduated magna cum laude, and attended Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.

A “diehard” runner, O’Brien trains along St. Cloud’s lakefront and at the Kissimmee Civic Center. She previously trained in Washington, D.C., to qualify for the 2000 Olympic track and field team.

O’Brien is also an adjunct professor teaching a trial advocacy class at Barry University Law School.

An advocate of children, O’Brien volunteers for the Osceola County Teen Court, a diversion program for juveniles who commit small offenses who are judged and given punishments by their peers. Additionally, she judges local lawyer competitions and volunteers for environmental cleanup efforts.

Recently, O’Brien adopted a kitten she named Jax in honor of her best friend from law school, Jacqulyn Gray, who died from breast cancer earlier this year.

Other nominees considered for the position were Robin S. Berghorn, Robert M. Edge, Alfred Torres, Carlos A. Vega and Addison E. Walker, according to the governor’s office.