Q: Please tell us a bit about yourself and your family.
I grew up in Staten Island, New York. I am the fifth of six children. I have 4 older sisters and a younger brother. There is an 18-year gap from youngest to oldest in my family. My mom worked as a social worker for over 40 years, and spent her career helping people with special needs. My dad worked in finance and helped to start the credit union movement in low-income communities in the late 60’s early 70’s. My parents stressed to us at a young age the importance of service to others and that message has stuck with me throughout my life.
As a kid, I developed a love of baseball that I still hold on to. I played baseball until my freshman year of college at DePauw University when a hand injury sidelined me. Now I coach my kids at Holland Little League where I am also a board member. I managed my oldest son’s (Jimmy) travel and Little League District teams for a number of years and was incredibly proud of the boys’ growth and accomplishments. The team won the Little League District championships the past two seasons, and finished 4th in the state in 2021. I really loved seeing Jimmy and his teammates develop from teeballers to responsible (for the most part!), hardworking, young men, who experienced first hand how much you can accomplish when you work together toward a shared goal. I now am spending time coaching my younger son, Will, and daughter, Caitlin, in both baseball and softball, and really loving spending time with them.
I am also a member of the advisory board of an organization called the Posse Foundation. The Posse Foundation works to send inner-city kids in groups to liberal arts colleges throughout the country. I was fortunate enough to receive a full-tuition Posse Scholarship to DePauw during my senior year of high school. The organization’s purpose of sending scholars in groups is for the students to feel they have a community or their “Posse” with them as a support system throughout their time on campus. My group was the first to attend DePauw, and I remain close with many of my “Posse” members to this day. My younger brother attended Middlebury through a Posse Scholarship 8 years later.
My awesome wife, Marissa, grew up here in Holland. We met at Cleary Gottlieb, a large international law firm in Manhattan, where I was a young associate, and she was the manager of professional development. We got married in 2008 and moved to Sleepy Hollow, New York. After Jimmy was born, we decided that we wanted to be closer to family. So, we moved in with Marissa’s parents in Holland while we waited for our house in NY to sell. When we found out baby number 2 (Will) was on the way in 2011, we bought Marissa’s childhood home from her parents, and they moved to Langhorne. A few years later, our daughter, Caitlin, was born, at which point my wife stepped away from her career, though I think she is probably busier now than ever.
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career.
I am currently a litigation partner at Fox Rothschild, where I have practiced for the past 11 years. I typically represent companies in business disputes, but occasionally represent individuals as well. Fox has 29 offices throughout the country, and although I sit in Bucks County, I currently have cases in courts throughout the United States.
When I was younger, I wanted to go into politics. I felt (and still feel) that you could have a tremendous positive impact on the world by helping to shape the laws under which we live. I always wanted to be a Senator or the Governor, and I structured my academic and early-professional career in a way that I thought would best prepare me for that path. In college, I majored in American History, with an English writing minor. After college, I attended Georgetown Law in Washington DC. I first interned in the District Attorney’s office and then spent a summer working as a player personnel intern for the General Manager of the New York Jets. I eventually started my career as a litigation associate at Cleary Gottlieb in Manhattan where I focused on large scale internal investigations, securities class actions/white collar criminal defense. I also took on a number of pro bono representations, helping families of first responders killed during the attacks of 9/11 apply for relief from the Federal Victim’s Compensation Fund, as well as children with special needs obtain free and appropriate educational funding. My 7 years spent at Cleary, and the mentors I made there, instilled in me the importance of attention to detail and hard work, and taught me to, above all else, try to act with integrity.
Once we had children, and as the political climate became more toxic, I thought long and hard about what a life in politics might do to my family. Ultimately, my professional priorities shifted and my family’s happiness and well-being became and remains my primary focus. I recommitted myself to having the best possible legal career I could have, all while trying to be a constant presence in my children’s lives.
I am so grateful that my career path led me to Marissa and ultimately to Holland, PA.
Q: What do you love most about what you do?
A partner I once worked with described being a litigator, as serving as your client’s ultimate “sword and shield.” I love being a professional problem-solver and being entrusted to guide my clients through what might be their darkest days. At the outset of a case, I try to quickly master the facts, and understand what victory looks like from my client’s perspective. I try to envision their end zone, and then outline exactly the plays we need to run to get there as efficiently as possible, all while maintaining multiple exit ramps should the client’s priorities or objectives change along the way.
I take personally the privilege of solving other people’s problems. I think being passionate about your case – and having empathy – is what separates the great lawyers from the not so great. People say not to take things personally in the law, but I think you have to in order to effectively convince others of the merits of your case. You have to understand what your client is going through, what the impact on their life is, and be able to articulate that to your audience.
I also enjoy the tireless hard work of practicing law. Geno Auriemma, the UConn’s women’s basketball coach, talks about the difference between good players and great players being that the great players “don’t get tired.” They maintain their mental focus and stamina no matter what. I think the same goes for practicing law.
I also really enjoy the litigation process and learning the ins and outs of various industries and businesses within them. While the art of litigation is the skill, I love that I never encounter the same fact pattern twice.
Q: What is a “Must Do” for someone visiting our area?
I would say check out our local parks. Although we truly do not get to go to them as often as we should, our family really enjoys taking our dogs to the parks, especially Tyler State Park. Having lived in Manhattan, I always feel fortunate to live in a community with such nice open spaces.
Q: Do You like to Travel?
I love to travel, and did so a lot early on in my career/before Marissa and I had kids. We were recently able to go to Turks and Caicos with our family and it was awesome. One of my favorite trips for sure! Before COVID we liked to do a trip a year. In my earlier years, I’ve gone as far as Abu Dhabi and Argentina (for work), Australia, and Africa. My wife has been everywhere! She lived in Europe for a semester in college and got to travel a ton from there.
Q: What is the Most Beautiful Place You Have Ever Been?
A small Island called Mauritius, where Marissa and I actually got engaged. It’s off the east coast of Africa. Another beautiful place would be Tanzania. I taught English there for 2 months in between taking the bar exam and starting my first job. At that time, I wanted to do something different where I gave back to people in a remote part of the world. I convinced my mother to allow me to take my younger brother with me and we worked with an organization called Cross Cultural Solutions. I taught at an elementary school in a rural village in Tanzania, and my brother, who was in High School at the time, actually taught adults. It was an amazing experience. The people of Tanzania and their joy, curiosity about the world, and /passion for life, all while having next to no resources, really impacted me. I would love to take my children there someday and have them witness first-hand how to be incredibly appreciative for whatever good life brings their way.
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
I am a big movie fan. I have been exposing my kids to my favorite movies for most of their lives. We recently watched Godfather1 and 2 together, which are probably not age appropriate, but the kids loved it nonetheless. I’m also a big fan of Braveheart and Usual Suspects. I also really love going to the movies in person.
Q: What advice would you give to people?
Be kind. Look outward not inward. Be the type of person who picks up the phone and asks others how they are doing, and genuinely cares about their responses. I believe you will have a life well lived if you keep the focus on other people more so than yourself. In the big picture, you can rarely go wrong doing the right thing.
Q: What is your favorite band or music genre?
My favorite music does not exactly fit the image of a corporate lawyer, but I am a big ’90s rap guy. I love WuTang, Biggie Smalls, and DMX. My music choices make for a great visual when I’m cruising through Holland in our minivan.
Q: What are some of your favorite things about our community?
The people. I would have never imagined leaving New York, but having been here for the past decade, I can truly say that the people I’ve met have made Holland home. In a relatively short period, I’ve made lifelong friends and I can’t think of a better community in which to raise a family.
I also really enjoy some of the local restaurants. I like having breakfast with my family at Cafe Madison. I really admire everything they have done there and the feeling that they have cultivated of being a local hangout. I also really like Rocco’s, Harvest, Turning Point, and taking the kids to the Richboro Pub.
Q: What is something interesting that even your friends or family may not know about you?
I often wish that I would have been a surgeon. I am fascinated by surgery and the notion that human beings can apply scientific skill to save people’s lives. If anyone tells me about a surgery they are about to have I often watch that type of procedure on YouTube because I am so fascinated by it.
Q: What is your favorite holiday and why?
Without a doubt, Thanksgiving. I love going to my in-law’s house in Langhorne for Thanksgiving. It is relaxing, the food is fantastic, and I love football, so it is a huge win for me. I also love the overarching message of taking time to be thankful for all that you have.
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
Definitely my wife. She is unbelievably smart, humble, and fierce in an unassuming way. I am truly inspired by her love and commitment to her family. She is completely devoted to us all without any fanfare or drama. Her life embodies devotion to others and she inspires me each day to be the best version of myself.
Q: What is one or two of your favorite smells?
I love the smell of freshly cut grass and towels straight from the dryer.
Q: What words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Love, laughter, and being mentally present with the people that you love.
Q: Where can people find you or your business?
Website: https://www.foxrothschild.com/james-c-clark
Email: JClark@foxrothschild.com