Personal injury attorney Orville Dunk was born in a Jamaican town called May Pen, smack dab between Kingston and Montego Bay. Today, Dunk resides with his family in Houston, Texas where he owns a law firm, and earlier this year opened another firm in Downtown Milwaukee. He also owns a legal office in Memphis, Tenn.

Dunk splits his time between the three cities, spending about two days a week in Milwaukee where he also has many friends and family, but wherever he lands, he carries with him the Jamaican national motto, “Out of many, one people.”

“I really believe in the concept of ’the melting pot,’ both with my staffs, in my personal life and how I approach communities,” says Dunk. “Diversity is very important in everything.”

Dunk’s Milwaukee roots run deep. He lived here during the late 80s and 90s, during which time he met and married his wife, had two children and graduated from Cardinal Stritch University. Upon graduating cum laude with a degree in business management, he joined his uncle’s trucking company. He later took over the business and although it prospered and he enjoyed the work, he longed to do something else with his life.

Eventually, his desire for a new challenge led him to the Houston Law Center where he earned his J.D. (Juris Doctor) degree.

Moving to Texas was hard for Dunk and his family, having to leave so many beloved, Wisconsin-based people and places. Thus, the plan was to somehow, some way return to Milwaukee, and in early 2020, this dream came true. Dunk purchased a historic, 160-year old building located at 777 N. Jefferson St. that has been home to many businesses, including The Sophie which is currently nestled in the lower level. 

“I consider this beautiful building the jewel in my crown,” says Dunk.

Dunk Law Milwaukee opened as a small-but-growing law firm in January of 2020. Opening right before a global pandemic created challenges for Dunk, as it did most business owners, but all-in-all he feels very fortunate.

“When the city was shut down, we did not have a lot of business because people were not out and about, but things have picked up again recently,” says Dunk. “I already knew of the pandemic when I bought the building, and I knew I was taking a chance doing so, but I didn’t want to hold off on this opportunity to return to Milwaukee.”

Dunk says it’s the people he loves most in Milwaukee – his family and friends – but also the diversity of the communities. He also appreciates being closer to his daughter who studies political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“There’s a reason my daughter came back to Wisconsin for college: it’s because we are Cheeseheads,” says Dunk. “I love the lake, the soccer scene, the food, Summerfest, State Fair. But most of all, I really love the people who live here. They are some of the friendliest in the world.”

OK, but what about the Milwaukee winters? After years in Texas and Memphis, was it rough to reacclimate to snow and freezing temperatures?

“Not at all. Weather doesn’t phase me,” says Dunk. “You can adapt to the weather no matter where you are.”

In the upcoming years, once the pandemic is contained, Dunk looks forward to immersing himself into the Milwaukee community as much as possible.

“I don’t just practice law, I have a strong social impact on the community,” says Dunk. “I really want to have a strong presence in Milwaukee that goes way beyond my law firm.”

Even though he’s only been here since the beginning of the year, Dunk Law Firm has donated bikes to kids, participated in school book and bag drives, and partnered with V100 for city-enriching events.

“And like David Gruber, we give away a lot of free T-shirts,” says Dunk, smiling.