Michael Clemente, Esq.

Associate, Robert P. Snyder & Associates

I graduated from the University of Miami in 2007 where I obtained a Bachelor of Business Arts degree with a double major in Legal Studies and Business Management & Administration. I attended law school at the Villanova University School of Law, graduating in 2010. While in law school, I was a member of the Sports & Entertainment Law Journal, serving as both Staff Writer and Associate Editor, and was a founding member of the Editorial Board of the first International Law Journal at VLS

I am currently admitted to practice before all Federal and State Courts in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey and am actively representing clients in the areas of medical malpractice, automobile negligence, work-place accidents, estates and life-planning, business/corporate matters, and many other various legal issues.

In the interest of granting you a window into what defines me as an attorney, I would like to address the question of why I do what I do and what drove me to become a lawyer.

There are probably a hundred reasons that I could produce to answer the question of what drove my desire to be a lawyer. Nevertheless, in doing so I realize that not any of them alone can serve as a suitable answer to the question at hand. The answer instead lies in a combination of a sincere desire to help the little guy and stand up for our rights as citizens of this great United States, together with the following influential life experiences and my resulting views on the law.

I could easily go into extensive detail describing my sorted work experience, explaining how the challenges thereby presented to me have not only stimulated, but energized my interest in the law and driven me to desire a legal education. Likewise, I could have regaled you with accounts of the influence that the various professors that I have had in law school and in pursuit of my undergraduate degree have had on my perspective of the law and its widespread impact on our daily lives. The passion and excitement for the legal field that is evident in them has instilled in me a respect and admiration for the law that has only intensified.

My interest in the legal subject matter can even be traced as far back as my early childhood days. Many times when I was young my father, who owns and operates his own business, would take me along with him to work allowing me to witness first hand the operation of a business. Even at that young age I distinctly remember being intrigued by how everything worked and being in awe of the fact that for every decision or situation there are rules and regulations that must be taken into consideration. I was impressed that something could have so much control and influence over all of our lives.

Despite these significant directional beacons that have, thus far, been steering my life in this path, I still cannot candidly assign the credit for my desire to be a lawyer to them. While all of these reasons, and countless others that I have not mentioned, have served as the igniting spark that started me down the path of a legal education, they are not what now fuels my desire. Ultimately, my desire and decision were finalized not by the influential factors of my past, but rather by the promise of excitement and genuine interest that I expect to draw from the practice of law for many years to come.

The laws of this country represent to me the voice of the people embodied in our everyday lives. In every one of our daily undertakings the influence of the law is apparent; whether it is something as simple as to which side of the street we drive on or a more complex application such as the drafting of new legislation or representing a client's rights. Laws create order in an otherwise chaotic world. Certainly, something possessing such an impressive, far-reaching influence over our lives warrants devoting a lifetime of study.

Laws, and the inherent order and civility that they represent, establish a framework that is vital to our society. As former U.S. President Ronald Reagan once said, "Our very freedom is secure because we're a nation governed by laws, not by men." We cannot as citizens pick and choose the laws we will or will not obey. Laws exist free from personal passions, emotions, and convictions, serving as a visible guideline for acceptable and rational behavior. This fundamental stability that is characteristic of the law and its practice is the primary aspect that especially appealed to me. The laws and regulations that govern our society are fashioned and maintained in a manner designed to be the embodiment of the maxims adhered to by the citizens that they are intended to serve.

Intrinsic of the opinion of the people, is their ability and inclination to change their position. I believe that the laws of this country are the vehicles for that change; through them the ever evolving concerns and needs of the citizens are addressed. Riding the wave of public sentiment new laws are constantly being formed, enacted, morphed and interpreted to better serve and protect the public interest. I believe that this lack of stagnancy is perhaps the greatest attribute of the law. As distinguished legal scholar Roscoe Pound wrote, The law must be stable and yet it must not stand still. This progressive nature of the law and legal profession is the aspect that has truly captured my respect, and encouraged me to pursue the law as a both a lifelong profession and a passion.

I believe that it is important to feel a true passion for what one strives for in life and, without fear of equivocation, I can say that my desire to be a lawyer satisfies that passion. This desire, driven by the respect, appreciation, and intrigue for the practice of law that I now harbor as a result of my various life experiences, will guarantee me a worthwhile, gratifying existence.