Chairman of Haddonfield Law Firm Takes Role at Union League

James H. Carll never thought of himself as a Philly guy. He grew up in Bridgeton, went to law school at Duke, worked for a few years at a New York, Wall Street firm and then found his spot in Haddonfield’s solid Archer & Greiner law firm in 1978, where he’s now chairman.

In December, Carll, a resident of Haddonfield, was selected to serve on the board of directors of the Union League of Philadelphia, once and still considered the premier club for Philadelphia’s professionals and business tycoons.

The Union League was established in 1862 to support the Union during the Civil War–and also to endorse the policies of  President Abraham Lincoln. For everyone whose economic strata was middle class, or lower, the Union League was a mystery, a huge French Renaissance structure on South Broad Street that for more than 120 years barred women and most minorities.

That’s all history. Today the club’s 3,200 members still represent regional leaders in business, education, arts, religion, and culture but its range of members has expanded. Last December, at the same time Carll joined the board of directors, Tavistock resident Joan Carter was named the first woman president of the club.

Carll joined the club in the mid-1990s. “From its beginning, it was predominantly for Philadelphia businessmen,” said Carll, adding during its early years, most of the members probably worked within a three-block radius.

Carll said he regularly spends time on the firm’s business at its Philadelphia office at 16th and Market streets. With 35 lawyers from the firm working out of that office, Carll said, he “gets over to Philadelphia a fair amount.”

The Union League, he said, “has changed with the times but it’s still a great spot for networking. Maybe 40 years ago there were 50 eating clubs in the city. They’re not there anymore,” he said. The Union League still maintains a private dining room and provides overnight accommodations and a gym for its members.

The reliance on private clubs dwindled with the increase of two-income families and the expectation that husbands and fathers would spend more time with their families, Carll said.

“The world has changed in a lot of ways. So now instead of just being a place where members meet for lunch or dinner, we have more family events,” said Carll.

His assignment with the board of directors gives him responsibility for the house committee, with emphasis on maintenance and improvements to the building.

The building is filled with antiques, furnishing and paintings, some of which were in storage or otherwise out of view for years. It also has a large collection of Civil War records. The building is open to the public only for two Saturdays each year.

The Union League has an outreach program for youth and a scholarship program.

“I love American history and this is an organization aware of its history but it has to be relevant to today. We can’t just say we were terrific in 1950. We have to be terrific today,” he said.

“We’re looking for more members so we have to upgrade the facilities,” he said.

Carll practices corporate law with emphasis on complex business transactions. He has been chairman of Archer & Greiner since 2002 and chairman of the firm’s corporate department since 1991.

Carll provides representation and counsel to companies ranging from small, local businesses to local corporations and large privately held enterprises as well as nonprofit organizations, in mergers and acquisitions, financing, securities law and other matters.

Carll also is chairman of the Penjerdel Council, a tri-state group founded more than 50 years ago to advocate for improvements in the region. In addition to pushing for such projects as new sports complexes, the Kimmel Center and lighting for the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, the council was a strong supporter of the deepening of the Delaware River channel to expand business for the ports areas of Philadelphia and Camden.

He’s a trustee of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia and also actively involved in the Greater Camden Partnership, an association of business and institutional leaders hoping to develop and facilitate the rebirth of Camden.

“I still think that will happen,” Carll said.