Name: Michael Orme
BYU employee since… My first day on the job was August 8, 1988 (8/8/88)
My job at BYU is… the General Counsel. I direct the lawyers and support staff in the Office of the General Counsel in providing legal services to BYU, BYU Idaho, BYU Hawaii and LDS Business College.
Currently I’m working on… keeping the university out of legal trouble. This is an interesting, but never-ending, task.
I’m currently reading… Grant by Ron Chernow.
I get most excited about my work when… I think of the outstanding students, both academically and spiritually, who attend BYU.
Being involved in debate as a high school student sparked my interest in my field.
Receiving a spiritual confirmation of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon changed the way I view the world and my place in it because I knew for myself that Christ and His atonement are real.
When I tell people I work for BYU, they often say… “Why does BYU even need to have lawyers? What do they do?”
My advice to graduating seniors is… to never give up on what you really want to do to make the world a better place.
I became a BYU fan when… the BYU Cougars’ basketball team won the N.I.T. in 1966. My obsession with BYU sports has only grown since then. My top three BYU fan experiences have been: (1) the Beck to Harline touchdown pass with zero time left on the clock to beat Utah in 2006, (2) Jimmer’s senior year (2010/2011), and (3) with Ty Detmer at quarterback, BYU beating then #1 Miami in football in Provo in 1990.
On Saturday mornings you’ll find me… sleeping in later than I should and working on my gospel doctrine lesson for Sunday.
Three things that are always found in my refrigerator are… blueberries, cheese (of all kinds) and Smucker’s hot fudge ready for the microwave.
My favorite hobby is… skiing – at Deer Valley on a sunny day after a snowstorm.
If I could travel anywhere, I would go to… the South of France because this is where my wife, Dottie, served her LDS mission.
My favorite quotes… are from the iconic and inspiring speeches of Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill. For example, from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address: “That these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
