At the Law Firm of Petrie & Associates
not all their attorneys are cowboys
... but they do have one

Hard Ridin’ & Ropin’ Cowboy Lawyer!!

By Cory Abass
©1997 Petrie & Associates

Flashback: With his hand wrapped snugly in the braided bull rope, 20 year old Mike Petrie slowly descends onto the back of a 2,000 lb. Brahma bull, which only barely seems to fit into the bucking chute. The bull is a PRCA National Finals bull, which means it should be tough to ride. The National Finals Rodeo is the World Series of the rodeo world and the bulls are selected from around the country as the rankest. Petrie has high hopes of winning some prize money if he can just stay atop long enough. He’s had several years of experience and has been competing in the bronc riding and bull riding events at both college and professional rodeos all over the country.

Bull riding, the National Sports Council proclaimed, is the most dangerous sport in America! And bull riders, it seems, are a unique type of athlete, somewhere between a kamikaze pilot and a gladiator. At a rodeo in Evergreen, Colorado, Petrie rode a Scottish-Hylander bull with horns so wide the bull had to turn his head sideways just to fit into the chute. At that angle the bull’s horns kept banging into Petrie’s legs preventing him from sliding up close on his rope, putting Petrie at a severe disadvantage. Still, when the gate opened he rode that bull to the whistle.

Born near Chicago, Illinois and growing up in California’s San Fernando Valley, Petrie was not exactly "born into" the cowboy life. Indeed, with his slight build and blond hair, his appearance was more that of the stereotypical California surfer than the Marlboro man. "I actually saw my first rodeo on television when I was about eight years old and instantly knew I wanted to be a cowboy. I suppose my parents thought I’d grow out of it, but I never did." By the time he reached his teens, rodeo had became a passion for Petrie. Entering his first rodeo at the tender age of seventeen, his fierce determination often prevailed over the wild gyrations of an angry bull or bronc.

So, on this day, Mike Petrie, with his wide brimmed cowboy hat pulled down so tight the top of his ears bend, takes a seat atop his bull, and nods for the chute gate to open. In a blur of motion and confusion, the bull roars out of the chute with Petrie still aboard, chaps flapping vigorously as he moves his legs in a spurring motion. The bull goes into a tight spin and centrifugal force separates bull and rider like the snap of a whip. Before Petrie can get to his feet, the bull turns and slams into the fallen cowboy. More than the hopes of going home with prize money were dashed that day. The injuries sustained from that fateful ride effectively ended Mike Petrie’s bull riding career. The winds of fate were about to guide him in an entirely new direction.

Fast Forward: With the same unyielding determination that he used to stay atop wildly bucking bulls and broncs, Mike Petrie went on to finish his education, become a lawyer, enter the business world, become the CEO of a national real estate development company, and eventually to form his own law firm, The Law Offices of Petrie & Associates.

Michael E. Petrie is the firm’s managing attorney for nearly a decade. Petrie has developed a "down to earth" business sense held by too few attorneys, due in part from having held the position of Chief Executive Officer for nine years of a California based nationwide construction and real estate development company. The successful integration of "hands on" business experience into his law practice has proven to be a major asset in representation of business clients.

Michael Petrie, is licensed to practice law in multiple jurisdictions including California, Texas, New York, Washington, D.C., U.S. Federal District Court and The United States Supreme Court. He currently serves as a Business Law Section Committee Member of the American Bar Association, earned a Doctor of Laws degree, has extensive training in the area of Alternative Dispute Resolution and has acted as a mediator on a variety of legal issues. Additionally, Mr. Petrie holds active California licenses as a Real Estate Broker and General Building Contractor.

Petrie says his firm makes available to clients an enormous reservoir of legal talent and services. Both he and his "hand picked" team of attorneys and staff are committed to providing efficient, high quality and cost-effective counseling, planning, problem-solving and litigation services. "Ours is a very integrated firm of talented attorneys with a coordinated team approach to legal problem solving. Our clients do not get just a lawyer, but rather a ‘team’ of attorneys each contributing their individual areas of expertise. We are in the business of helping people and are truly a full service law firm."

Now in his mid 40's, Mike Petrie still pursues the cowboy life whenever he gets the opportunity. Among his hobbies are Team Roping and Trail Riding. Since recently moving to Orange County with his family, he can often be seen in the driveway of their home throwing a lasso around the horns of a plastic practice roping calf. The Petrie’s also maintain a home in Texas and in 1994 Mike Petrie participated in the famous Salt Grass Trail Ride. "It was a 100 mile, 3 day trail ride along the plains of East Texas. We slept on the ground and all our meals were from chuck wagons. It was a wild & wooly cowboy event where most of the riders were lawyers and judges and politicians . . . if you can imagine that! The ride culminated in the riders being a part of the "Grand Entry Parade" of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo ... one of the biggest rodeos in the country."

Michael Petrie is also an active member of an organization called "The Cowboy Lawyers Association" headquartered in California. "This is a real great group consisting entirely of lawyers and judges, primarily from California but from all around the country as well. We get together several weekends a year, putting away the trappings of our profession, to play cowpoke. The transformation of some of these folks, from high stressed city lawyers to leather slappin’ cowpokes, can be pretty amazing. When I’m at work representing a client, I work really hard for that client and really give it my all. Partaking in cowboy activities allows me to let loose. It’s a great stress reliever."

Petrie says he is in the business of helping people and companies . . . helping them avoid legal problems before they occur and defending people and companies when they find themselves in legal difficulty. "To be effective at helping people, you have to be knowledgeable of the law and tough as nails ... that pretty accurately describes our law firm." Michael Petrie believes his firm offers some of the brightest legal talent and invites individuals and business owners located, or doing business, in California, Texas or New York to contact him. "I’ll make sure you are treated right." The firm also has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Houston and Washington, D.C.

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Attorney Michael Petrie is a member of the nationally known "Cowboy Lawyers Association" consisting entirely of attorneys and judges from around the country who enjoy the cowboy life. For further information, the firm’s Internet address is www.petrielaw.com or contact Michael Petrie at The Law Offices of Petrie & Associates’ Orange County location, 949-365-9160.

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