Chalon N. Clark, Esq.
Partner
Husch Blackwell, LLP
Dallas, TX
Age: 36
Chalon Clark decided her mission in life as a child after reading Roots, then watching Eyes on the Prize, a Civil Rights Movement documentary. She wanted to help the voiceless, be an agent of change, and become the first African-American woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court. She began that journey attending the University of Texas School of Law, one of the top-ranked law schools in the nation. After graduating, she was selected for a two-year federal clerkship, and then began practice as a trial attorney. Clark speaks of her first appearance in court, recalling the anxiety, overcoming shyness and finally walking out of the courtroom a changed person. ?When it was over, I was relieved and grew more confident,? she says.
Even more confident, eight years later Clark is a partner at the national law firm Husch Blackwell LLP, where she practices commercial and business tort litigation. ?I have wanted to be a lawyer and a judge since I was 9 years old. On my worst day at work, I still could not see myself doing anything else. I absolutely love the law,? she admits. Among her numerous advocacy and mentoring activities in both law and education, she is a founding member of The N.E.W. (Network Empowering Women) Roundtable, comprising Black female in-house and outside counsel who work to empower and mentor each other.
A Delta Sigma Theta soror, Clark earned a bachelor?s degree in finance, cum laude, at the University of Houston. She has Bahamian roots and, with her husband, Richard Thomas, owns an award-winning restaurant, The Island Spot ? Jamaican Kitchen & Bar.
In her career, Clark draws on her experience running track. ?It strengthened my mental fortitude, taught me to never ever give up and always do my personal best, even when I think nobody is watching,? she reveals.
