Jack B. Clarke, Jr.

Partner

Jack B. Clarke, Jr. is a partner in the Education Law and Litigation practice groups of the Riverside office of Best Best & Krieger LLP. He joined Best Best & Krieger after graduating from law school in 1985. Mr. Clarke is involved in litigation concerning education law, special education disputes, public agency litigation and other types of substantial litigation matters. Mr. Clarke has successfully defended school districts and other education clients in student disciplinary matters, civil rights and Constitutional claims and special education due process hearings.

Mr. Clarke received his Juris Doctorate degree, with distinction, from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, in 1985 and his B.S. degree in Business from the University of California at Riverside in 1980.  In law school, Mr. Clarke was elected to the Order of the Barristers, a national honorary society for outstanding achievement in courtroom advocacy, and served as a staff writer on the Legislative Review of the Pacific Law Journal, Vol. 15, January 1984.  He also received the United States Law Week Award for Outstanding Contributions to the law school community. He is also a graduate of the National Institute on Trial Advocacy.

The Riverside County Bar Association awarded Mr. Clarke with the James Krieger Meritorious Service Award in September 2010. He has twice been acknowledged as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in California by California Law Business Magazine. In February of 2011, Mr. Clarke was presented with the "Omar Stratton Award" by the NAACP. The American Diabetes Foundation also presented Mr. Clarke with the “Father of the Year” Award in June of 2011. In 2012, he was awarded the “Terry Bridges Outstanding Attorney Award” by the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court. In 2015, Mr. Clarke received the "Frank Miller Outstanding Civic Achievement Award" from the Mission Inn Foundation.

Mr. Clarke is a frequent speaker on special education matters. He has spoken on subjects such as manifestation determination procedures and assessment procedures for children with exceptional needs. Most recently, Mr. Clarke has been a presenter at the Association of California School Administrators, the Safe Schools Conference, North Coastal Consortium of Special Education, McGeorge School of Law, Trujillo & Trujillo, the Riverside County Bar Association, the Speech and Language Pathologists Committee No. 10, the Riverside County Office of Education, LRP, and several School Districts and SELPAs within Southern California.

Some of Mr. Clarke’s most recent presentations included: Making Sense of Nonsense: Tips on Using Student Data to Create Defensible Educational Programs from a Legal Perspective, ACSA Symposium 2012; Least Restrictive Environment Deconstructed: The Internal Workings of LRE from a Legal Perspective and How that Important Concept Plays a Role in Creating a Defensible IEP, ACSA Symposium 2011; and FAPE Deconstructed: The Internal Workings of a Free Appropriate Public Education from a Legal Perspective & How to Create a Defensible IEP, ACSA Symposium 2010.

He is also co-author of A Legal Overview of Burden of Proof in Special Education Disputes published by LRP Publications 2003.

He is a member of the National Bar Association, the California State Bar and the Riverside County Bar Association.

Education

• University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, J.D., with distinction
• University of California, Riverside, B.S.

Bar Admissions

• California

Court Admissions

• California

Awards

• Order of the Barristers, a national honorary society for outstanding achievement in courtroom advocacy
• United States Law Week Award for Outstanding Contributions
• Terry Bridges Oustanding Attorney Award, by the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court
• Krieger Meritorious Services Award, Riverside County Bar Association

Memberships

• The City of Riverside Innovation District Working Group, co-chair
• California State Bar
• Riverside County Bar Association

Authorships

• A Legal Overview of Burden of Proof in Special Education Disputes , LRP Publications (2003)
• Stump the Psychologist (April 2001)
• Perspectives on Testifying at a Due Process Hearing: How to Become An Effective Witness For the Best Interests of The Child, Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) (January 2001)

Speaking Engagements

• Stump the Psychologist, Presenting at Due Process Hearings for the National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention (April 2001)
• Testifying at a Due Process Hearing: How to Become An Effective Witness For the Best Interests of The Child, Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) (January 2001)
• What's Your Risk of Money Dangers–Section 1983 and the IDEA, National LRP Special Education and The Law convention (2003)
• IDEA and Title VI Discrimination: Over and Under Inclusiveness in Special Education Programs and Role of Office of Civil Rights (OCR) , 18th Annual Pacific Northwest Institute on “Special Education And The Law,” (October 2001)
• Big Bucks Damage Awards Under the IDEA, 17th Annual Pacific Northwest Institute on “Special Education And The Law,” (September 2000)