Why did you decide to become an attorney?
I wish I could say that I was born to be an attorney and that I wanted to be an attorney all of my life, but I can’t. I became a lawyer out of necessity. At age 18, I got into a car accident and was told that I had insurance, but it turns out I didn’t. After being sued by everyone involved in the accident (I still think they were in the wrong!!) I had no lawyer and no money and no hope. It was pretty bad. Four years later, after college, all this debt faced me. I stumbled into a law library on my own and started conducting research to try and get myself out of this predicament. Luckily, I found a rule of law that seemed to have been written just for me! I handwrote a Motion to Set Aside a Default Judgment, akin to what prisoners do. Somehow I managed to find the County Clerk's office to file my neatly handwritten document. Still more amazing, a Judge (Judge Martin) granted my motion and I was put in position to negotiate workable terms with Nationwide Insurance Company. Feeling more powerful and confident about myself, though only 22, I threatened Nationwide’s attorney to file bankruptcy, leaving them with nothing. The attorney chuckled, citing how I would never file bankruptcy. He called my bluff, and so far he has been right! I paid off the more manageable settlement amount over time, and told myself this would never happen to me again. I went to law school, and the rest is history, as they say.
What experiences (work and personal) help you to be a better attorney?
I have worked in the private sector as a newspaper reporter and I have worked in the public sector at all levels of government: City, County, State and Federal. This diverse experience has contributed to my being a better advocate for my clients. I have had incredible supervisors from whom I have learned a great deal. I attended the Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyer’s College in Wyoming, and I have served as a staff member for many years. This experience enabled me to look inside of myself ---to really look inside of myself---at all the good, the bad, and the ugly---and to utilize this information to relate to others: clients, opposing counsel, prosecutors, judges, jurors, witnesses, police officers, you name it. Also, walking into fires---really confronting them--- and not running from them, which is often times required in criminal law, has seasoned me for the betterment of my profession.
What made you choose your primary area of law?
When I started Clark Law Office in 1995, I was a general practitioner, representing clients in matters such as divorces, contractual disputes, probate matters, and workers' compensation cases. I even had a trial involving a rapper that I represented. Over time, I realized that the vast majority of my cases were criminal cases. I also had an epiphany that I truly found this area of the law rewarding. I have a natural need to help people and through my practice, that need was being met. In recent years, my love of handling DUI cases –the clientele, the study of alcohol, the science of alcohol (hydrogen, oxygen, carbon), the mathematical calculations (6 lite beers of 12 ounces each over a 3 hour period with a client who weighs 145 pounds and is 5’7’'), the chess and shell games with the prosecutor---has provided me a specialty within criminal law on which to focus.
What makes your law firm unique?
I am not so certain that I am that unique. I’d like to think that most attorneys practicing criminal law in Franklin County are conscientious about their cases and their clients, and they work very hard to provide them with quality representation. So in this regard, I don’t think I stand out so much. As a female criminal defense attorney, I am in the minority. I don’t walk around thinking about it so much. I just dig in and do the best job I can to get my client as much justice at the courthouse that I can secure, utilizing the assets that I have. I do tend to go above and beyond the call of duty for my clients, but as I indicated, I just think, or hope, most of the bar in this town does this for their clients.
Describe your ideal client.
This is easy. I just represented her. She was beautiful. She had broken the law. She told me that she had broken the law. She told me there was not much need to put up a defense for her because she was, in her words, “in the wrong.” For her, it was easy to go above and beyond the call of duty. As a client, she was always early to court and to meetings. She’d read books on self-improvement while waiting on court hearings to commence. She didn’t mind the waiting that court often times demands. She never complained about anything. She wanted to pay for her mistake and “Man up.” She continued to work and follow the directions of the court. She gained the respect of the prosecutor. She learned from her mistake and I could see the growth and maturity in her. She thanked me for representing her. I have been blessed with many ideal clients over the years. I write about another one at my website, www.tokilaw.com under the Criminal Law section.
