It didn’t take Joe Kerry long to fall in love with Ogden. Kerry, who is originally from the East Coast area, came to Ogden while working for Glenn Beck and met Bert and Kathy Smith of the Smith and Edwards family. The Smiths showed Kerry around Ogden and he fell in love with what he considered to be a vibrant and thriving community. Since, he has visited many times and when the opportunity presented itself to open his own law firm and business, he knew downtown Ogden was the place.

He doesn’t want to give people the wrong idea about his business, “Peace Legal.” “We’re not a bunch of hippies practicing law,” he said with a laugh. The name comes with the idea that using one of the three attorneys at Peace Legal will bring clients peace of mind.

“Being a lawyer for 12 years and having to hire a lawyer it has always seemed like practices were built around the lawyer, not the people needing the services,” Kerry said. That’s where Peace Legal is different. Instead of paying an hourly rate, clients are billed a flat fee. In addition, Kerry uses technology to serve his clients with live video chats so clients can have their needs met wherever and whenever its needed. Plus, with the flat fees, if clients forget a question and need to call their lawyer, they don’t have to worry about being billed for every phone call or every question or email. “Our goal is to help our clients,” Kerry said.

Kerry has three attorneys at Peace Legal, plus himself. He does not have a license to practice in Utah yet and will be taking the Utah Bar Exam soon. (He has licenses to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.)

Kerry, a 12-year lawyer, also hosts a radio show, “The Joe Kerry Show,” and when he announced he would be opening a legal firm in Ogden on the air, he had some naysayers. Phrases like “armpit of Utah” were thrown around in different conversations. Kerry knew they were wrong. Before solidifying his plans, he reached out to the Ogden Police Chief Randy Watt. He told Kerry what he needed to hear. “He told me the biggest problem wasn’t fighting crime in Ogden, it was fighting the perception of crime,” Kerry said. He then knew Ogden was the right place for him because he wanted to contribute to giving Ogden a positive spin.

His office is located at 238 25th Street and is filled with 25th Street and other Ogden memorabilia that Kerry has collected over the years – coins, postcards, glass cups and everything in between. Things like an ashtray from Utah Noodle Parlor, a business card from the old China Temple and a bottle opener from the Hotel Ben Lomond are part of the collection. Kerry has loved collecting the items over the years and now appreciates having a place to display them – right in downtown Ogden. He is looking to expand his collection to areas off 25th Street as well.

The more he learns about the history of Ogden, the more intrigued with it he becomes. As he has read the history he sees that Ogden is the city of second chances. Kerry feels like Ogden’s story mirrors the goals of Peace Legal. Many of his clients are looking for second chances, maybe from divorce or other struggles. “Ogden needed a second chance. It got its second chance and people have given it hope. Ogden is the city of hope,” Kerry said.

In addition to his 25th Street collection, Kerry also has a vast family Bible collection. He started collecting old family Bibles when he was at a yard sale years ago and discovered someone’s family Bible that had a huge chronology of family history attached inside. The thought of that history being lost wasn’t acceptable to Kerry, so he started a Bible rescue where he collects old Bibles and records the family histories in FamilySearch or Ancestry.com. It is a nonprofit group of volunteers who helps record the histories. He has collected over 1,000 Bibles and has some on display – one dates back to the 1700s.

The Bibles are on display in his conference room as is the Ogden memorabilia which is open to the public. Kerry is eager to get to know Ogden better along with its residents. “I want to bring peace of mind and peace of the heart to the people here,” he said.