Episode 69

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Published on:

9th Jun 2026

Jersey Justice w/ Robert Brennan | Episode 69 | The Record Stands: The Untold Story of Robert Brennan & First Jersey Securities

Robert Brennan was once one of the most recognizable businessmen in America.

Founder of First Jersey Securities, horse racing entrepreneur, philanthropist, political insider, and frequent subject of national media coverage, Brennan built a business empire that made him a household name throughout New Jersey and beyond. Along the way, he became friends with presidents, governors, business leaders, and cultural icons while building companies, hospitals, racetracks, restaurants, and charitable organizations throughout the state.

Then it all came crashing down.

In what Brennan says is his first media interview since leaving federal prison, he joins Jersey Justice hosts Gerald H. Clark and Mark W. Morris for an exclusive 3 hour and 36 minute conversation about the extraordinary life he chronicles in his autobiography, The Record Stands.

Brennan discusses:

• Growing up in a Newark family of nine children

• Delivering newspapers and working his way through St. Benedict's Prep and Seton Hall University

• Building First Jersey Securities into a national brokerage firm serving hundreds of thousands of customers

• His relationships with Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Pope John Paul II, Donald Trump, and other influential figures

• The murder of his brother and the family tragedy that ultimately led his father to become a Catholic priest

• His decades-long battles with the SEC and federal government

• His criminal prosecution, prison experience, and life after release

• The lessons he learned about success, failure, power, faith, humility, and redemption

Whether you view Robert Brennan as a visionary entrepreneur, a controversial Wall Street figure, or something in between, this conversation offers a rare opportunity to hear his story directly from him and draw your own conclusions.

This is the longest and most comprehensive interview Brennan has ever given.

The record stands.

Learn More About Robert Brennan

Robert Brennan's autobiography, The Record Stands, expands on many of the stories discussed in this interview, including his rise from a Newark newspaper carrier to founder of First Jersey Securities, his relationships with presidents and world leaders, his battles with regulators, and his years in federal prison.

Buy Bob’s Book The Record Stands here: https://a.co/d/0bbXoszP

Support St. Benedict's Prep

Listeners who are inspired by Brennan's discussion of the role St. Benedict's Prep played in his life are encouraged to consider supporting the school's mission. Information about making a contribution to St. Benedict's Prep can be found at: https://www.sbp.org/giving

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About the Podcast

Jersey Justice
Law ★ Policy ★ Life
Jersey Justice brings in-depth conversations with interesting and notable figures from in and around New Jersey on a range of topics involving law, policy, and life in New Jersey and beyond. The show aims to understand how the world turns and how it all works by breaking down the complexities of civil law and policy and its everyday impact on life. Guests have ranged from politicians, lawyers, judges, union bosses, news anchors, businessmen, podcasters and everything in between.

Jersey Justice: Law ★ Policy ★ Life is hosted by attorneys Gerald H. Clark and Mark W. Morris and is produced by Oscar Carrillo.

About your hosts

Gerald Clark

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Gerald H. Clark, Esq. is the Principal of Clark Law Firm, and is certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a Civil Trial Attorney and holds a distinction shared by less than 3% of New Jersey attorneys.

Gerald H. Clark, an accomplished and influential attorney in New Jersey's construction injury law, has made significant strides in the legal field. A long-time member of the Board of Governors of the New Jersey Association for Justice, he has served as counsel on numerous state and national class action matters, including a landmark consumer fraud lawsuit against Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, which resulted in a settlement valued at $1-3 billion.

Throughout his career, Gerald has successfully handled catastrophic loss and wrongful death cases, passionately representing deserving clients on a contingency basis to ensure access to justice. His strategic appeals in cases like Costa v. Gaccione and Fernandes v. DAR Development Corp. have influenced New Jersey's construction injury law for the benefit of workers.

Gerald has been recognized in the New Jersey Law Journal's "40 Under 40" and named a "Rising Stars Super Lawyer" from 2006-2012. Since 2013, he has been consistently honored as a "Super Lawyer" by Thompson Reuters, a "Top 100 Trial Lawyer" by the National Trial Lawyers Association, and a "Top 100 Litigation Lawyer in the State of New Jersey" by the American Society of Legal Advocates.

Mark Morris

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Mark W. Morris, a senior trial attorney, has been recognized on the Super Lawyers Rising Stars List each year since 2019 and has been named a “Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyer” by the National Trial Lawyers Organization since 2019 as well.

Throughout his career, Mark has obtained remarkable settlements and verdicts for his clients, such as a $2 million settlement for a concert patron injured by a stage diver, a $1.325 million settlement for a motorist struck by an intoxicated driver, a $1 million settlement in a negligent security case and a $975,000 settlement in a worksite products liability case. Additionally, he has played a vital role in helping Clark Law Firm achieve numerous multi-million-dollar settlements and jury verdicts including a jury verdict of $2,579,000 for a construction worker who was injured when he was backed over by a utility truck.

Leading the firm's Consumer Rights Division, Mark has successfully prosecuted state and nationwide consumer class action claims, representing clients against businesses engaging in misleading or fraudulent practices. Notably, he worked on an obsolete motor oil class action that resulted in a $28.5 million settlement for consumers in 2021. Mark has also secured a $1 million consumer fraud class action settlement involving misleading business practices related to the service of process.

With a commitment to all aspects of litigation, Mark has demonstrated success in handling client intake, depositions, motion practice, arbitrations, mediations, and trial. He has won several cases before the Appellate Division and has litigated in both state and federal courts throughout New Jersey and the Southern District of New York.