Joseph T. Clark’s legal and judicial career has spanned over 47 years and continues as he returned to the practice of law with his son, Jon at Clark & Clark and Associates in 2013. Joe’s legal career began in 1966 in the general practice of law as a trial lawyer and prosecutor. In 1979 Joe was appointed by the Governor of the State of Ohio to the Fairfield County Municipal Court. After four years in the Municipal Court, he was elected to his first of four consecutive 6-year terms to the Fairfield County Common Pleas Court until he was appointed in 2003 to The Ohio Court of Claims by Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice, Thomas J. Moyer. In 2012 Joe retired from the bench and returned to the practice of law with his son, Jon.
Joe also retired in 1992 from the U. S. Navy Judge Advocate General Corps with the rank of CAPTAIN. He served for 25 years, the last six years as a member of the Navy-Marine Corps Trial Judiciary serving as a General Courts-Martial Judge.
Joe has had articles published in the Ohio Judges Resource Manual and the Ohio Northern University Law Review. He graduated from the University of Nevada/National Judicial College receiving a Master’s Degree in Judicial Studies in 1993. He has also been a member of the faculty of the Ohio Judicial College and the National Judicial College. As a judge he was very active in his professional associations where he was a trustee and officer for the Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association and the Ohio Judicial Conference. Joe was also appointed to Chair the Ohio Jury Service Task Force to enhance jury service in the State of Ohio. Joe was also a founding member and trustee of the Ohio Jury Management Association.
Joe is a Judicial Fellow of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, a Life Fellow of the Ohio State Bar Foundation and a was elected as an ASTAR Science and Technology Fellow in 2006. In that same year Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice, Thomas J. Moyer appointed Joe to serve as Ohio ASTAR Program Director.
During Joe’s 47 year legal and judicial career, he has presided over hundreds of multi-million dollar personal injury, property damage, contract, labor/management claims in the private sector as well as state government, deciding or mediating many of them to a successful conclusion without the necessity of a trial. There is no substitute for quality knowledge and professional experience.