by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Accidents have played a major part in the life of the latest president of the Jacksonville Bar Association, almost as much as dedication and hard work.
Joe Camerlengo, 39, wasn’t even supposed to be in Jacksonville, let alone have a successful law practice — Camerlengo & Brockwell — or become president of the JBA.
“On campus interviewing involved a bunch of manila envelopes,” said Camerlengo, who earned his bachelor’s and law degree at the University of Florida. “I thought I put my resume in the envelope for Turaska, Unger & Grower, a law firm in Orlando. But I accidentally put it in the envelope for Taylor, Day & Rio, a Jacksonville firm.”
Growing up in Daytona Beach, Camerlengo wanted to stay closer to the I-4 corridor, but he chose to take the opportunity that fate had given him in Jacksonville.
“A while after I had been working at Taylor Day I found out the real reason behind how I got the job,” said Camerlengo with a chuckle. “I interviewed with Mike Burnett and Brian Currie, and they told me the reason they hired me was because they saw the advertisements from my company over the urinals at Joe’s Deli and the Purple Porpoise.”
Camerlengo was co-owner of advertising company Bartoons, Inc., while attending Florida. His company developed humorous comic strips that would be surrounded by advertising, and the advertising was placed in bathrooms of nightclubs and bars in Gainesville.
Jacksonville may not have been his first choice, but Camerlengo decided to embrace what fate had handed him and headed north. Living in Jacksonville may have been a new experience for the Staten Island, N.Y. native, but he wasn’t totally unfamiliar with his new surroundings.
“I had only been in Jacksonville for seven Florida-Georgia games and four amateur surfing contests,” said Camerlengo. “I also skated at Kona when I was growing up. I was the surf/skate kid who got good grades.”
That kid kept listening to people tell him that he should go into law or politics when he grew up because he had a knack for talking to and getting to know people. Even skills he developed as a surfer would translate into his work ethic as a lawyer.
“I wasn’t the best surfer but I could outsmart the other guy,” said Camerlengo. “It was knowing what the judges were looking for and positioning myself for the waves that would offer the longest rides. Just like court now, I don’t have to be the smartest guy in the room. I just have to work hard, know what the judge is looking for and present the facts.”
Hard work tends to permeate most facets of life for the former president of the University of Florida Surf Club. Both his bachelor’s degree and his law degree were earned with honors. As a young lawyer with Taylor, Day & Rio, Camerlengo was not satisfied with just being a member of the Jacksonville Bar Association. He rose to president of the Young Lawyers Division.
“He did a tremendous job in getting us to work as a team,” said JBA President-Elect Dan Bean, who served on the Young Lawyers Division Board of Governors with Camerlengo. “He helped us achieve things we didn’t think were possible.”
A mutual respect grew between Camerlengo and Bean as they worked together on Bar Association boards, and that respect was evident during Camerlengo’s second campaign for president of the Jacksonville chapter.
His first bid for the office fell short as Caroline Emery, who finishes her term today, was elected president.
“I did make a lot more money the year I lost to Caroline,” said Camerlengo jokingly. “It’s amazing what happens when you have some free time.”
His second campaign was a little easier. Camerlengo was unopposed because his friend, Bean, decided not to run against him.
“It was an easy decision for me to step aside and let him have that year as president,” said Bean. “He always maximizes his capabilities and possesses a desire for success at the team level.”
Another reason it was easy for Bean to hold off on his campaign was the new structure Camerlengo has proposed for the leadership of the Bar. He plans to set long-term goals and bring the president-elect in on the decision making process to smooth out the transition for each president.
The last eight years have been a series of transitions for Camerlengo. In 2001 he left Taylor, Day & Rio to open his own law practice and became a certified NFL Players Association Contract Advisor and Licensed Sports Agent at the urging of some former clients who wanted him to represent their child. This opportunity allowed Camerlengo to combine a trio of his passions: the Florida Gators, sports and the law.
Promising Jacksonville football talents Frankie Franklin and O.J. Spencer were his first two clients. He represented about 10 athletes from 2001-06, most of them were high on potential, but ended up short on years played. Camerlengo decided to leave the agent business when his wife Karen was pregnant with the couple’s first child, Grae, three years ago.
“I was making some good inroads, but I would have had to spend too much time away from my family,” said Camerlengo. “If you are doing the job right, it’s a lot of work.”
His career and family may have changed since then, but his calendar has seen little rest. Camerlengo is the President of Camerlengo & Brockwell, where he is a civil trial lawyer with experience in a variety of fields from personal injury to entertainment law. He is the new President of the JBA and has a 3-year-old to keep up with. Throw in a novel he is trying to finish and a book full of invention ideas waiting for the patent office, and there isn’t much room left on his plate.
But he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“If you work hard, good things will happen,” said Camerlengo. “They did.”
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