When Dallas developer Brian Potashnik and his wife, Cheryl, were sentenced Friday in a high profile City Hall bribery case involving State Rep. Terry Hodge and Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill, it was the end of a long legal ordeal for them and their family. But the ruling also brought closure to the lawyers in the case, including Lake Highlands’ own Matthew Orwig. Orwig represented Mrs. Potashnik, who worked in her husband’s office and was indicted along with him.
“This was a complicated case with 14 tried defendants,” said Orwig, whose client eventually pleaded guilty and received probation. “It was a huge victory.” Mrs. Potashnik could have been sentenced to 40 years.
Over his 3 years working on the case, Orwig worked alongside high profile attorneys such as Stephen Jones (Timothy McVeigh) and Abbe Lowell (from Jack Abramoff to Gary Condit to Charlie Wilson to P. Diddy), who represented Mr. Potashnik.
“I’ve always enjoyed working with interesting lawyers,” Orwig told me. “I’ve had a lot of great colleagues over the years – talented and gifted people who are the best in their field.”
Orwig first came to Dallas in 1989 as a prosecutor, moving to Lake Highlands with his wife, Melissa, and three young children. He did a stint in Washington for the Department of Justice, worked in Beaumont as a U.S. Attorney and was appointed by George W. Bush to serve in Washington after 9/11. Each time his term was finished, Matt and Melissa moved back to LH.
“We looked at all different neighborhoods, all over Dallas, and we realized – we’re just Lake Highlands people.” Their current home near the Twelve Days of Christmas display in Oak Highlands “is our dream neighborhood,” he said.
I asked Matt about his experiences in the Postashnik case. “When I moved back to Dallas (from Washington), Cheryl was my first client when I opened the Dallas office of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. It was me and one other lawyer in a temporary space.” The global firm is now SNR Denton, with more than 40 lawyers plus staff in the Dallas office, where Orwig serves as Managing Partner.
“For the most part, I represent big companies, but it’s really different representing individuals. You get so involved in their lives, you develop great empathy for them and you work harder to help them. You live it, breathe it. You develop a bond, a connection.”
When the investigation began, the Potashnik children were 8 and 9 years old. “The case happened during their formative years, and the weight of it was hanging over their parents’ heads.” It was that weight that led Mrs. Potashnik to end the ordeal by pleading guilty. Her husband will serve 14 months.
“There are very long hours with a case like that, and there’s never a break,” he added. “There are different moving parts with all the different lawyers and issues, and it becomes a big job to coordinate it all.”
So how did his own family fare during the 3 year ordeal? “They’re grown,” Orwig said of his college-aged kids, Josh, Rachel and Jacob, “so they understand. They’re supportive, and they are very happy being back in Lake Highlands.”
“Melissa and I love the Moss Park Native Area at the end of our street. We never had an appreciation for how big and expansive and native it is – they don’t use pesticides, so the fireflies are amazing. We enjoy taking the dogs for long walks, walking the trail to White Rock Lake, and riding bikes to Flagpole Hill. We love the convenience – where else can you see horses and still be just 15 minutes from downtown? Lake Highlands has been a little haven for us. You can leave the pressures behind you.”
What’s up next for Orwig, with the Potashnik case finished? He’s working on a half billion dollar alleged securities fraud case (he stressed the word “alleged” – seems he HAS successfully made the switch from prosecutor to defense attorney) and an upcoming trial involving Red Bull (I resisted the urge to make a Four Loko joke). “As a defense attorney, I’ve learned there are many hues and shades of grey.”
As we were wrapping up our chat, I heard his doorbell ring and he had to go. There were carolers at his door. “I love Lake Highlands,” he said.
