Harter Secrest & Emery LLP (HSE) regrets to announce that named partner R. Clinton Emery has passed away at the age of 86 years.
Clint joined the firm in 1954 when it was known as Strang, Wright, Combs, Wiser & Shaw. After spending his first year of practice closing numerous real estate deals, Clint moved into the firm’s Corporate department where he became a business lawyer working with Richard Secrest. Together, they helped build HSE into the full-service business law firm that it is today.
For Clint, practicing law was a personal service endeavor requiring intense commitment. He was known for his fierce client loyalty and exceptional work ethic. His clients were among the most important people in the world to him, and he made them feel it.
Throughout his career and after his retirement from the firm in 1992, Clint was a dedicated civic and community leader, serving in leadership roles with several organizations, including Rotary International, Fairport Rotary Club and Clifton Springs Hospital. He spent more than 40 years serving in various capacities for the Fairport Baptist Home Community Ministries, where in 2013 he was presented with the Paul A. Vick Philanthropy Award. A Victor, New York native, Clint graduated from Hamilton College and Cornell Law School.
“Clint was a legend in the Rochester legal community and at our firm which proudly bears his name,” said Managing Partner Craig S. Wittlin. “Clint set an unwavering standard for client service and left an indelible footprint on our firm. All of us who had the opportunity of knowing and working with Clint will miss him greatly.”