RICH REILLY Attorney at Law (The Joy of Self Employment / 1992 – today)  For 20 years I ran my business out of a two room office which I rented on the corner of Duke & King Streets.  In 1999 Cori Spisak joined the office.  In 2006 Tara Cheuvront joined us.  In November 2012, the office moved (two blocks north) to its present location (54 N. Duke Street) which is on the corner of Duke & Philadelphia Streets.  Rebecca joined us in the Spring of 2013.

I never planned to be self employed.  It happened out of necessity.  I accepted the offer of a York firm and was the 14th attorney in the firm.  I bought a house and joined a Church.  But the chemistry at the firm was all wrong and after one year they fired me.  At that time I was not married and had no children to worry about, thank God.  I still remember the day I answered the door of my home to find a Sheriff’s car parked in my driveway and was served the foreclosure papers for my home.  Blessedly some friends were able to loan me money (which I repaid with interest) and I managed to save the home that my family & I still live in.

CGA (Bankruptcy Law) (1990 -1991) This is the job that brought me to York.  I accepted their offer in the Fall of my senior year at The Dickinson School of Law.  I was to practice business law with them which was perfect.  At that time my career goal was to help folks achieve the American dream by helping them start and grow businesses.  It turned out the firm needed the new associate to do Bankruptcy Law and that’s what I did for my year there.  I consider myself fortunate for this job which brought me to York and allowed me to work with and learn from an excellent man, Attorney Larry Young.

Peters & Wasilefski (Workers Compensation) (Summer 1989)

Butler Manufacturing (Welder / 1984 – 1988)
In the Spring of 1984, I graduated from college and wanted to go to law school but had no money.  So I moved back home with my folks (and younger siblings) and took the highest paying job I could find which was at this steel plant at which my mother worked.  The company designs and builds steel buildings which are manufactured in the factory and assembled on site.  The plant manager told me my best chance to keep the job was to get a skill so I practiced welding on my breaks and soon enough passed my welding test.

I enjoyed welding.  It was not easy, especially on hot summer days.  I welded plates, stiffeners and gussets onto steel beams.  It was cool being a part of a team that made steel buildings.  Both my parents were blue collar steelworkers.  Mom retired from Butler and my father retired from Bethlehem Steel.  I worked 3^rd shift and worked a ton of overtime.

Cassels Men’s Clothing Store (formerly Hostetters) (1978 – 1984)
My most important job, prior to the present.  In my sophomore year of high school my guidance counselor, Jerome Chepulus, recommend I apply.  Jim Cassel sold suits and fine men’s clothing from a store located in downtown Lebanon (my hometown).  I worked Tuesday and Friday evenings and Saturdays.  When hired my folks took me to Boscovs to get appropriate clothing for my new job and aptly I bought polyester shirts & clip-on ties.  Over the years I ended up buying (at discount) a nice wardrobe from Jim.

Until this job, my plan was to go into the Army, which my father, an Army Veteran of the Korean War, discouraged.  Our clientele were Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants and business people, the type of folks I never met or knew growing up at 374 N. Partridge Street.  A row home, in an alley, on the wrong side of the tracks, on the bad side of town.  My universe expanded immensely because my mind did as well.  My wife’s and my purchase of our office building (in downtown York) and our plans for that space have a lot to do with paying forward the gift given to me by Jim Cassel.

Legislative Assistant, State Senator David J. “Chip” Brightbill (College Summer Job)  My older brother Ed’s girlfiend’s mother Jean Gohn worked with Attorney Brightbill on a Board or Authority in my hometown of Lebanon.  Chip was appointed to take the unexpired seat of Clarence Manbeck who I believe passed away and she told me to apply.  Chip was a good professional mentor who drove home to me how important his law degree was to his success and flexible employment.

Store Clerk, Turkey Hill Minute Markets (College Summer Job)   A treasure trove of interpersonal relations.  My first real experience multi-tasking.  I ran the store at the corner of 8th & Chestnut Streets (in Lebanon) solo during my shifts: handling the cash register; serving ice cream cones, slushies and making sandwiches; stocking the fridge & freezer;  plus the invaluable experience of being exposed to the general public.

Other Jobs:  Working as a desk assistant and cafeteria worker at Shippensburg University.  Lawn mowing.  Babysitting.  Newspaper Routes.  And as a real young guy…hauling bottles, cans, etc. in my wagon to Brandywine Recyclers.

My education is directly related to my parents lack of the same.  My father was smart.  He was a high school graduate who enjoyed a good (albeit hard) blue collar career with the Bethlehem Steel.  But he regretted not taking advantage of the GI Bill to further his education.  My mother never graduated high school.  The second youngest of six children she was told by her parents that she could not go to college.  She wanted to be a teacher.  So she dropped out of high school.  Needless to say, Mom & Pop Reilly encouraged us four kids to get an education.  Mom always said that “she would scrub floors” if necessary to pay for it.  And we did.  All four graduated college.

An additional bit about my education.  I learned just as much in my four years on the shop floor of Butler Manufacturing as I did in my other schooling.  Another lesson was learned by paying for my own college and law school educations (through loans & jobs) without burdening my parents. 

1980 Lebanon High School

1984 Shippensburg University (Communications/Journalism) B.A.

1990 The Dickinson School of Law J.D.

Having been a school and yearbook photographer in high school, I attended Shippensburg (a great school) hoping to become a photo journalist.  As for Dickinson, I remember visiting the school and being in complete awe of it.  I was living at home and working as a welder when I applied.  I felt my life change as I opened and read the acceptance letter.  

During my first two years of law school (which like college is full of general education classes) I continued working as a welder.  That was an unforgettable two years of my life.  I moved to an apartment in Carlisle (208 N. College Ave.) to be close to the law school.  I drove an hour from there to Annville where I worked 3rd shift as a welder.  After my shift I showered and drove an hour back to Carlisle in the morning, the rising sun in my face.  Those grooves that vibrate your car if you glide off the road saved my life more than once.  I attended classes, did homework, grabbed some sleep, and repeated, for two years.   I kid you not, I ate meals and brushed my teeth while driving.