DBA RISING STAR: JAMAR T. KING ESQ

Jamar T. King Esq. Thompson Hine LLP

Since I have known him, Jamar King has consistently made room for others in our profession while also establishing himself as a skilled, competent attorney. Jamar currently focuses his practice on white-collar criminal defense, corporate internal investigations, and general commercial litigation. A native of Dayton, Ohio and graduate of Chaminade-Julienne High School, many don’t know that he started his career in the legal industry at Rion, Rion & Rion, LPA during an exploration year between his graduation from college at Bowling Green State University and starting law school at the University of Toledo College of Law. Jamar’s experience is a bit unique in that he has worked both in private practice and as an assistant Montgomery County public defender. His wide-breadth of experience allows him to assist his current clients—businesses, organizations, and individuals—involved both criminal and civil litigation at the state and federal levels. He credits his time at the public defender’s office with changing him both as lawyer and as a human being. It exposed him to the many ways that our society fails the underprivileged. No one could argue that Jamar was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, or even that there was one in his entire childhood neighborhood but, growing up, Jamar always held steadfastly to the hope that he could change his circumstances if he worked hard. So many of his clients faced problems that went well-beyond the courtroom and they had no such hope. That time also underscored his drive and taught him to be resourceful in the courtroom. He recalls the harsh realities of being a public defender: limited resources and the presumption of guilt typically placed on criminal defendants. This dynamic forced Jamar to be creative when crafting legal theories to assist his clients. His present-day clients benefit tremendously from his resource-

fulness, tenacity, and vigorous advocacy when navigating through contentious litigation. That time also renewed his commitment to the community. He spends much of his free time volunteering, and he sits on the board of the Wesley Community Center, a full-service community center in Dayton’s Westwood neighborhood.

Jamar is highly regarded within the larger legal community. He is a graduate of the Dayton Bar Association’s Leadership Development Class (2014-2015), and he continues to serve the DBA as a member of the Bar Briefs editorial board. Jamar is also a vital member of the Greater Dayton Area Diversity and Inclusion Legal Roundtable. Jamar is also one of the thirteen appointed commissioners on the Board of the Unauthorized Practice of Law of the Supreme Court of Ohio, which hears and presides over cases involving allegations or unauthorized practice of law throughout Ohio. In 2019, Jamar was recognized by the Black Law Student’s Association at the University of Dayton at the Joseph Cinque Banquet for his contributions to improving diversity in the Dayton area. Most recently, he completed the Ohio State Bar Association’s Leadership Academy.

Demonstrating his leadership ability, and his dedication to making our profession more inclusive and fueling the pipeline of diverse individuals entering the profession, Jamar along with Robert Gresham, co-founded the Diversity Summer Clerkship Program. Since the launch of the program in 2015, Jamar has worked diligently to increase employer participation thereby expanding the professional development opportunities available to law students and young attorneys. When I first met Jamar in 2016, I was rounding out my 1L year and participated in the inaugural class—an opportunity that continues to pay dividends years later. I now work with Jamar to coordinate the program, and his commitment to developing young legal talent is evident and unmatched.

The clerkship program is especially near and dear to his heart because he remembers what it was like as young law student trying to land his first position. Although he always had plans to return home and work in the Dayton area, going to school in Toledo made it difficult to establish necessary connections making it next to impossible for Dayton or even Cincinnati employers to seriously consider him. Rather than turn away from that challenge, Jamar took matters into his own hands and found an innovative solution to his problem. He finished his final semester of law school in Cincinnati as a visiting student at UC where he attended every single CLE, legal event, cocktail party, and networking opportunity he could. He didn’t stop there though, Jamar followed up with the contacts he made at these events having lunch with as many of them as he could, and because of his tenacity and grit, one of those lunch dates ultimately led to his first offer from Thompson Hine.

While Jamar’s journey is an inspiring tale of determination, “luck and the grace of God,” he does not want bright, upcoming students to have to face the same struggle to land a job and find their footing. Jamar works hard on initiatives like the clerkship program and mock interview program to minimize that struggle.

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He stated that “serendipity should not be the deciding factor in landing a job; merit and talent should.” His work with the mock interview program is an extension of that desire. He admits to “learning on the fly” when it came to interviewing with potential employers. His younger self would have benefited from the chance to practice and hone his skills while receiving meaningful feedback from area practitioners.

When asked what piece of advice he would give to a new lawyer entering the profession, he would advise them that the practice of law is very fulfilling and rewarding, but “the lows are as low as the highs are high.” The difficulties inherent to our profession are precisely why it’s important to establish boundaries. He mentioned that “it is really easy to overextend yourself…[but]…you have to sit down and be still sometimes. As great as it is to help and do things for others, you have to be intentional about making time for yourself and your family.” Indeed, self-preservation is critical and allows us to be our best selves so that we can better help those in need.

Before we ended our conversation, I asked Jamar what he would do for work if the concept of money did not exist. He said that perhaps he would launch a podcast and/ or blog discussing hip-hop music or Lakers basketball. Unsurprisingly, Jamar’s vision also contained remnants of his present, which is devoting time to young lawyers coming after him by sharing his experiences to assist

with their journeys. Jamar is proof of what it means to lift as you climb and I know that I am not alone when I say that I cannot wait to see what he does next.

By Ebony D. Davenport Esq. Chair DBA Editorial Board UDSL davenporte1@udayton.edu | 937.229.3555