Meet Charity Clark | Criminal Defense Attorney

We had the good fortune of connecting with Charity Clark and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Charity, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Being an attorney was a goal I have had since Junior High. When I first started law school, I was 27, married with two young children and working full-time at a law firm. By the end of my first semester ended, I had gone through a divorce and was a full-time single mom with two little kids (18mnths and 4 years), still working full-time. In short, I had no work life balance. It was all work all the time.

I was fully committed to not just getting through law school, but becoming successful. I worked non-stop. My goal was to make sure the attorney I was working for while I was in law school could not run his cases without me. I was able to complete that goal, but my pay was still not enough to make ends meet so I picked up a second job with another attorney and a third waiting tables at a Native New Yorker.

I wake up early, travel from the Town of Maricopa to downtown Phoenix for school after dropping my kids at daycare and school. In between classes, I would complete as much of my readings as I could. I would then either come home or go into the office and do case work. Then I would pick up my kids, feed them, read for school while they ate, get them ready for bed, then work until late to complete my files or go into the restaurant and wait tables.

I was able to actually take on cases under the supervision of an attorney while I was in law school and completed my first two felony trials before I was licensed. My first was right before I started bar prep and my second was during bar prep. Both resulted in not guilty verdicts.

When I graduated law school, I stayed with the attorney I had worked for throughout law school and transitioned to a full attorney. I continued to work late, take work home, and only take breaks to take care of my kids. By that time, I was making enough to stop working the other two jobs at least. But, I again wanted to be indispensable to the managing attorney and I also wanted to learn as much as I could about the actual practice of law.

About a year after I was licensed as an attorney, I left the firm I was at and started my own firm. I hustled to get cases to make up the income I no longer had from the firm. In the beginning, it was a lot of hustle. Working as much as I could to get in clients, make sure they were happy, and increase my business.

As my firm grew, I began to see the need for a better work life balance. But, it was hard to transition from the mindset of always working, to taking time for myself. I had to force myself to take time off. Once I got my own office a couple years in, I made the decision to very rarely bring work home. Then, I started to make sure when I had trips, I didn’t bring work with me. Of course, in my area of work, emergencies come up and I would handle them if needed. But, my goal was to separate my life from my work.

Now, almost eleven years since I became an attorney, fourteen since I started law school, I have a much healthier work life balance. I don’t bring work home with me, except during trials. I also take at least a half a day off a week, though my goal is for one full day a week. When I travel, I don’t work unless it’s an emergency. I spend more time with my children who are now 18 and in college and 15 and a sophomore.

While my past was difficult and exhausting, it is why I am where I am today so I do not regret it. It helped me get to a very successful place in a relatively short period of time. It also helped me teach my children what hard work can do. But, I am very thankful for the work life balance I can have now. I think it is very important to find that balance when you can. While there may be periods in your life you have to push harder, that push should be with the goal of having a better balance.

What should our readers know about your business?
My firm is Charity Clark Law, PLLC. I am a solo attorney and have an amazing paralegal, Drea Garcia. I primarily represent individuals charged with criminal offenses, mostly felonies.

I have learned that representing people is not just about the case they have. It is about the individual. My approach starts with knowing my client’s goal. I want my clients to be set up to move past their case when it is completed and be successful. So, in addition to my legal work, I try and understand my clients and help them overcome what brought them to me in the first place.

In addition, I am a very creative lawyer. I am able to find and see defenses that others may not. One thing that serves me well, is my ability to adapt and pivot in my cases when I need to, making the evidence fit the defense. I can see things from many different angles and pick apart a case so I can typically predict where the other side might go.

These things have brought me success in my career. I am able to help my clients on a wholistic level while also providing them the best defense.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would likely take them to the Peacock Wine and Book bar in Gilbert. A great sushi place called Temari Fine in Gilbert, Bam Kazam, a fun multiroom escape room place in Scottsdale, A run around through Downtown Chandler, there are many local bars and restaurants. Va Bene in Ahwatukee is also a fun place for live music and really good Italian food. A trip to Adventerous Stills in Tempe. And then any festivals that are running, particularly wine or whiskey tasting.

More often, I travel up north to Jerome or Prescott.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My children, Elyse Clark and Jayde Clark, deserve credit for my success. These girls put up with a lot while I was building my career. They had to help around the house, cook their own food, do homework with little to no help. Without their understanding and hard work, I would not have been able to do this. I also would thank my cousin Jeni Meindle who helped me with my kids when they were younger picking them up, keeping them overnight when I needed to work. My parents who also helped take my kids to school when I had early court and kept them when I needed to work late. And so many friends who also lent helping hands and encouraged me or gave me a shoulder to cry on when I was burnt out and frustrated. I have been blessed with an amazing support system.

Website: Charity@charityclarklaw.com

Instagram: charityclarklaw

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charityclarklaw

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVdd0V1XDyB74EdUKtxpK-Q