Paradise Valley, AZ – Judge Stanley Marks has volunteered for over 30 years for Paradise Valley Municipal Court. Get to know one of your judges who once wanted to be a cowboy in the Q&A below.
Paradise Valley’s court judges are all volunteers, one of the only volunteer-only courts in the country. Stanley Marks is one of the nine judges for Paradise Valley Municipal Court.
How did you get into your career?
After graduating from Cornell University, my father urged me to join the family wallpaper business. For the next two years, I managed a retail wallpaper store with my mother as my employee. (Never a good idea.) I then decided there might be a more challenging and rewarding career and escape from selling wallpaper. So, I applied and was accepted at N.Y.U Law School. After graduating, I secured a clerkship with the Arizona Supreme Court and then was hired by a busy trial practice firm. That firm allowed me to pursue various claims which included suing the state for not protecting children and suing drunk drivers who were killing my clients.
What do you do in your downtime? I love playing tennis, fishing, gardening, and struggling with the N.Y. Times crossword puzzle.
What is your favorite place in Arizona? Other than sitting by my pool in the cooler months, the most beautiful setting I have seen in AZ is the Colorado River rushing through the Grand Canyon. The river trips were awesome.
What did you want to be as a child? I wanted to be a cowboy, like Roy Rodgers. Maybe that’s why when I came to Arizona in the ’60s, I went horseback riding every weekend.
What advice would you give to today’s youth? Don’t put anything on the internet that you wouldn’t want your mother to see.
What are the opportunities and/or challenges you see in the community? The opportunities for volunteering are endless. Seek a project or organization that needs help, and you can become a “change agent.” One of my greatest satisfactions was starting and serving as chair of AZ MADD and as founder and chair of the AZ Center of Law in the Public Interest. The challenge we all face is learning to communicate without condemning.
How do you want to be remembered? As a judge, I want to be remembered as fair and empathetic. As an attorney, I want to be remembered for my integrity and effectiveness. In my private life, I would like to be remembered as a “straight shooter.” (This goes back to my Roy Rodgers childhood.)
Occupation: Trial lawyer and volunteer judge in Paradise Valley, AZ.
Hometown: Rockville Centre, Long Island, N.Y.
Family: I share my life journey with my first girlfriend and now partner, Susan Resnik, my two daughters Shelley and Carey, two grandchildren Alex and Asher and two dogs Libby and Degas.
Article Source: Paradise Valley Daily Independent
Photo Source: Jeanette Wiesenhofer