Q & A with Darryl J. Horowitt
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Q&A
Q & A with Darryl J. Horowitt
Co-founder of Coleman & Horowitt, LLP in Fresno, Calif., Darryl Horowitt has conducted all phases of litigation in the areas of banking, business disputes, securities fraud (class action and individual), construction, real estate, environmental, casualty insurance defense, personal injury and commercial collections, from initial client contact to settlement, mediation, arbitration, trial and administrative proceedings (before the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture, National Labor Relations Board, California Department of Fair Housing and Employment, Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, and Agricultural Labor Relations Board). He also has assisted in transactions, including incorporation, purchase and sale agreements, secured and unsecured transactions, and employment contracts. In the field of alternative dispute resolution, Horowitt has served as an arbitrator (for the American Arbitration Association, NASD Regulation, Inc., Better Business Bureau Dispute Resolution Center, and the Fresno and Madera County Superior Courts), mediator (privately and for the Better Business Bureau Dispute Resolution Center), special master (for Judge James Ware, United States District Court, Northern District of California), and judge pro tem (Fresno County Courts).
Q: Before becoming an attorney, what was your first job?
A: My first job was in junior high school – paperboy for The Long Beach Independent-Press Telegram.
Q: What motivated you to pursue a legal career?
A: I wanted to help people. I first considered medical school but realized that I could help people in their day-to-day lives with a law degree.
The Horowitts are strong supporters of the Fresno Mission, a nonprofit agency that helps the homeless in the Fresno community, providing meals, shelter, and clothing to the less fortunate. Pictured with Darryl and Erika are their daughter, Andrea, associate Jared Clemence, and clerk Yesenia Blanco.
Q: Who was your chief mentor and how did he or she influence your career?
A: My father, Lee Horowitt. He taught me the importance of education and how to lead others.
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
A: Listening is one of the most important qualities one can have. That is why God gave you two ears and one mouth, so you listen twice as much as you talk.
Q: What is one thing you would like to learn to do?
A: I would like to learn how to write fiction.
Darryl and his wife, Erika, count hiking among their leisure time interests.
Q: What is your proudest career achievement?
A: I have many but creating a law firm that started with three lawyers and three staff in 1994 and growing it to 25 lawyers with total staff of over 50, with lawyers who truly care about each other, our clients and the community, is my proudest. Being named a Top 100 Northern California SuperLawyer® for five years in a row is second.
Q: What other career path might you have chosen?
A: Either history teacher (my undergraduate degree is in history) or tennis instructor (I played tennis in college, including one year as the assistant coach).
Q: What do you do to give back to your community?
A: I provide pro bono services throughout the year to the courts (where I serve as a settlement judge pro tem) and community (including during Operation Stand Down for our veterans); I help with projects at the Fresno Mission, including “One Table” (where we serve a meal to the community) and grocery deliveries; I serve as a board member to The Pi Shop (a business incubator); and I donate to several community organizations (e.g., Community Hospitals, The Pi Shop, The Evangel House, etc.).
Darryl J. Horowitt
Q: Can you share a positive referral experience within Primerus™?
A: I have several. One in particular was a referral from another firm who needed a lawyer in Bakersfield for an oil-related case. We handled the case, and that led to others that our firm handled as the referring firm could not help. In another, we needed a lawyer in Toledo, Ohio for our client who needed to enforce a secured loan agreement and foreclose on a commercial building in Toledo. The lawyer was able to get our client repaid, even though the debtor and other lenders to the building made it difficult.
Q: What is your most treasured material possession?
A: It’s not a possession. It’s my family. I am blessed with a wonderful wife, Erika, who has helped me become the lawyer I wanted to be, while helping to raise our two children (now adults), Andrea and Aaron, who now works for our law firm as a legal assistant.
Q: What is your happiest childhood memory?
A: Going to the movies with my aunt Phyllis and my three brothers and sister. My aunt loved all Paul Newman and James Bond films and took us to all – and more.
Q: What is your favorite movie and book?
A: Movie: “Sabrina” with Humphrey Bogart.
Book: “Boys in the Boat.”
Q: What is the most awe-inspiring place you have visited?
A: The Grand Canyon.
Q: What are your favorite leisure time pursuits?
A: Spending time with my family. Playing tennis or pickleball. Reading.
Q: What is your favorite famous or inspirational quote?
A: “To err is human, to forgive divine.” ~Alexander Pope
Followed by “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” ~George Santayana
Q: Who is on your guest list for the ideal dinner party?
A: My wife, Erika; Simon Sinek; Michael Lewis; and Malcolm Gladwell.
Darryl and his wife, Erika, enjoyed the pleasure of a yacht excursion at the Primerus Global Conference in San Diego last fall.
Q: What are the top three items on your bucket list?
A: Travel to New Zealand and Australia. Learn to write fiction. Learn to play guitar. I learned classical guitar for six years and quit in school but want to pick it up.