What I’m Really Proud Of

1. I obtained a Presidential Pardon from President Barack Obama for a client who had served in the  U.S. Army and was tried and convicted of being gay in the military, when it was illegal to serve in the military if you were gay. He served 2 1/2 years in Ft. Leavenworth Military Prison.  The conviction prevented my client from being able to obtain a mortgage, get a car loan, obtain employment, etc.  I worked pro bono for 6 years for him and finally received a full pardon on January 17, 2020, just three days before President Obama officially left office.

2. I opposed a ballot initiative to amend the Georgia Constitution to include: “This state shall recognize as marriage only the union of man and woman. Marriages between persons of the same sex are prohibited in this state.” I represented St. Mark United Methodist Church, a predominantly gay congregation, in the litigation against the Governor of Georgia, O’Kelley v. Perdue, 2004CV93494, 2006 WL 1350171, at *1 (Ga. Super. May 16, 2006), rev’d, 280 Ga. 732, 632 S.E.2d 110 (2006).  The St. Mark Congregation adamantly opposed this discriminatory language. Our efforts were ultimately vindicated with Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015.

3. I obtained an Order from the DeKalb County Superior Court requiring the DeKalb County, Georgia Clerk of Court to provide an ASL interpreter for a deaf DeKalb County citizen to participate in jury duty after he had been subpoenaed as a potential juror. Again, I worked pro bono for this client through the Georgia Council for the Hearing Impaired. Before this, if an interpreter was needed, the Courts would simply dismiss the juror. This Order recognized that ASL is a language and that deaf and hearing impaired citizens should be allowed to participate in the Justice System as any other citizen does. This was at the start of my career, maybe in 1990.

4. I created the Georgia State Bar’s Suicide Prevention Program, “How To Save a Life,” when I was President of the State Bar of Georgia. Our State Bar had never before addressed the epidemic of lawyer suicides before nor the mental health of our members. I created a video about where to get help through our Lawyers Assistance Program, and what to do when confronted with a family member, friend or colleague that may be in a downward spiral. I successfully passed a rule with our Georgia Institute of Continuing Education (ICLE) to show the video before every CLE seminar. We know approximately 35,000 (out of 55K) lawyers have seen the video because of this. We also changed the number of free counseling sessions for each Bar member from 3 to 6. We implemented the #useyoursix campaign to encourage GA. lawyers to use their free counseling sessions. I have written numerous OP/ED pieces published in our legal newspaper, The Daily Report. Because of this, anecdotally, we know we have saved lives of members of the Bar who had been contemplating suicide, instead reached out and got help, and lived. Many of these people have thanked us for giving them the help and resources. I continue to advocate for suicide prevention and often blog about it. It is a wonderful thing, as a trial lawyer, to say you have won a big trial, but there is nothing better than knowing you have saved a life.

5. Also while President of the State Bar of Georgia, I passed a rule that every CLE seminar shall have a diverse speaker lineup.  Diversity of speakers was not a consideration before this.

6. Also while President of the State Bar of Georgia, I worked with the Georgia Legislature to pass a bill (in only 8 days before the session concluded) to prohibit the assignment of a legal malpractice claim to unknown, unrelated third parties.

7. I filed an Amicus Curiae Brief on behalf of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. in favor of the appellees in the Georgia Court of Appeals in Mauck v. Athens Pride, Inc. d/b/a Athens Pride, et. al., Case No. A25A1072, in an Anti-SLAPP case against Athens Pride.

8. I filed an Amicus Curiae Brief on behalf of my church, Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church supporting the constitutionality of the  Georgia Equitable Caregiver Law in Dias v. Boone, No. S24A0887, Georgia Supreme Court, to prevent discrimination against unwed gay parents.

7. I was only the 2nd woman to serve as President of the State Bar of Georgia.

8. I was only the 2nd woman to serve as President of Georgia Trial Lawyers Association.

9. I was President of the Lawyers Club of Atlanta.

10. I am the only lawyer ever to have served as President of the State Bar of Georgia, the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association and the Lawyers Club of Atlanta.

11. I am the co-host of the podcast “See You In Court,” sponsored by the Georgia Civil Justice Foundation. It seeks to educate citizens about their rights within the Georgia Civil Justice System. It has over 100,000 views on YouTube.

12. I have been married for 33 years to my husband, Bill  Clark, I am the mother of two adult children, Chaz, age 30, an architect/artist and Alex, 28, a Georgia lawyer. They are my greatest accomplishments, without question.

Robin Frazer Clark is a trial lawyer who pursues justice for those who have personal injury claims as a result of being injured in motor vehicle wrecks, trucking wrecks, defective products, defective maintenance of roads, premises safety, medical malpractice and other incidents caused by the negligence of others.  Ms. Clark was the 50^th President of the State Bar of Georgia, a Past President of Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, a Past President of the Lawyers Club of Atlanta and has practiced law in Georgia for 38 years. She is a Board Member of the International Society of Barristers, a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and a Fellow of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Ms. Clark is listed as one of the Top 50 Women Trial Lawyers in Georgia and is a Georgia Super Lawyer. Ms. Clark is the co-host of the podcast “See You In Court.”

Robin Frazer Clark ~ Dedicated to the Constitution’s Promise of Justice for All.