Matthew Ory is a defense attorney, commercial real-estate developer, and quasi-venture capitalist. He occupies a special place, not only in my life, but in the Man Overseas sphere. I’ve written about Matt on the blog and referenced him on a big podcast.
Matt was my roommate for four years—three years at Nicholls State University and one year during his first year of law school in Houston. Living with Matt helped me to realize the importance of surrounding yourself with people who not only encourage and inspire you, but who also plan to do big things with their life.
On this podcast, you’ll hear someone who has an appetite for life & success that is infectious. Matt’s burning desire to succeed fuels high stress levels, which he uses to his advantage.
His sense of urgency, he says, stems from his dad. Dr. Dirk Ory, at 81 years old, takes 10,000-15,000 steps every day, never eats fast food and exercises every morning.
We discuss:
- Riding in a Mardi Gras parade
- Discipline learned playing college baseball
- No excuses.
- Why he decided to become a real estate investor
- Habits & hard work
- Living with a sense of urgency
- Growth vs. Enough
- Focus under duress
- Accountability
Relationships:
- Caring for yourself to care for others
- How to think about friends (as you get older)
- Comparing work ethic vs. intelligence
- A true friend is a low-maintenance friend
Mike Ory (Matt’s brother):
- Mike always saw the good in people
- Had uncanny mental tenacity—read lots of SEAL books
- Selfless to the end—diverted funds to those he considered less fortunate
- So many people attended Mike’s funeral that the start was delayed
Lessons from Pain:
- What Matt went through at the end of Mike’s life
- Being in a trans following trauma
- How to approach a friend who has just lost someone close to them
- He remembers Mike every day, but still can’t talk about him
- Mike’s spirit is with him at all times—it drives him
- Crushing blow—sky is now the limit
- Holding himself accountable to Mike
Being a Criminal Defense Attorney:
- The stress of being a criminal defense attorney
- Operating on others’ demise
- Things he wish he’d known in undergrad
- Advice to those considering law
- Whether movies are accurate portrayals of law
- Biggest misconception of defense attorneys
- The business side of being an attorney
- What he looks for when hiring
- The gratitude he feels for how hard his staff works
Real Estate Investing:
- Putting a deal together
- Raising capital
- The value of partners
- His “Walk-Ons” deal
- The commercial development he named after Mike
- Recreational investing
- Cache River Farms
Some of the Questions:
- Are there quotes that you live by?
- How do you think [losing Mike] impacted your sense of urgency?
- What is the one book you wish everyone would read?
- What would you tell somebody who is considering going into law?
- Would it be better to go into law in a big city, small town, or is that personal preference?
- Is there anything that someone can read or watch that would be an accurate portrayal of criminal defense?
- What is the biggest misconception of defense attorneys?
- Is part of your job a sales job to your client [getting a defendant to admit guilt when he might be hesitant to do so]?
- Where would you most like to visit?
- What are you most grateful for?
Listen Here:
Put the cap back on the toothpaste. – Matthew Ory
Connect with Matt:
- On Instagram: @amotriallawyers @amo.title.services @cacheriverfarms
- His firm’s website: AMOTrialLawyers.com
