New partner, name for longtime Tamaqua law firm

There’s a new law firm in Tamaqua. Well, actually it’s one of the town’s oldest law firms, but with a new partner and new name.

The Bowe, Lisella and Bowe law firm will become Bowe-Odorizzi Law LLC as of Jan. 1. The new partner is Tamaqua native Anthony “Tony” Odorizzi, who has been practicing law since graduating from the University of Akron Law School in Ohio in 1998.

Most of Odorizzi’s career has been spent at law firms within Schuylkill County, keeping him close to his North Ward home. “That was nice, but my dream has always been to practice law in my own hometown, giving back to my community,” he says.

Odorizzi’s dream is becoming reality, a step that partner Jeff Bowe says “is a matter of perfect timing.”

Former partner Thomas Lisella retired in 2016, which meant Bowe was the lone attorney at the firm started by his family in 1950. He soon came to realize the case load was a bit much for one man, working 60-hour weeks many times during the past year. At just around the time he was considering looking for a new partner, two friends he respects asked him to consider partnering with Odorizzi.

“I had heard his name, but had never met him, so I wasn’t sure how we could work together,” Bowe said. His worries disappeared at their very first meeting. “Once I spoke with him, I knew it was a perfect fit.”

Odorizzi agrees, “I was flattered that someone thought so highly of me they would recommend me to Jeff. Once we started to talk about our ideals and goals, I immediately had that feeling of coming home. The timing was perfect.”

He and his wife, Kathy, live in Tamaqua’s North Ward with their son, Anthony Jr., 12, who is a student at St. Jerome’s Regional School. Kathy Odorizzi is an art teacher at St. Jerome’s.

Anthony Odorizzi loves the fact he can walk to work and keep up his ties with the community, such as the Tamaqua Community Art center and the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership.

There’s been a lot of prep work creating the new firm, but both men are prepared to hit the ground running come Jan. 2. They will concentrate on business, estate, real estate and estate planning law, but will also be involved in municipal law. Bowe has been retained as the attorney for the Tamaqua Area School District, while the new partner will advise the Tamaqua CRIZ Board as well as the Tamaqua Sewer and Water Authorities.

While one partner is excited to be part of what he considers “Tamaqua’s premiere law firm,” Bowe says his new partner “means I won’t have to worry about the continuation of the family business. When I retire, his being here means I won’t have to shut the door on the generations of family members who have dedicated themselves to taking care of this community.”