David Falk - Personal Life

Personal Life

Falk was born to a middle-class Jewish family in Long Island, New York, the second of three children. Falk's father had never finished high school and owned two butcher shops on Long Island, while his mother, Pearl Falk, had two master's degrees, spoke six languages, and had worked as an interpreter in World War II for Nelson Rockefeller in Latin American affairs. Falk described his mother, a teacher and inspirational force as "a perfectionist", and called her "the biggest influence in my life", the one who drove him to achieve great heights.

"Nothing was really ever good enough. I brought home my college board scores—I think I got just under 1,400 the first time. She was crushed. She didn't understand how I could do so poorly. I think that I share a lot of those qualities. She used to have an expression that I would say is the guiding principle of my life: Always shoot for the stars and never settle for second best."

Falk's mother was an avid New York Knicks fan, a fact which influenced Falk's career decision upon his career path. Longtime childhood friend and colleague, Attorney Reid Kahn, remembers Falk proclaiming that he wanted to represent professional athletes in the fourth grade. Another high school friend noted that Falk was not good enough to make any of the teams at Douglas MacArthur High School (Levittown, New York), but that he was an ardent sports fan who frequently watched baseball games at Shea Stadium.

He graduated Syracuse University in 1972, with a degree in economics, and subsequently, George Washington University Law School, where he earned a J.D. with honors in 1975.

During his law school years, his parents separated, maintaining minimal contact with his father, but remaining very close with his mother until her death in 1988.

Falk lives in Rockville, Maryland with his wife, Rhonda (Frank). The Falks have two daughters, Daina,(born 1983) an honors graduate of Duke University, and an accomplished Beverly Hills photographer, and Jocelyn (born 1988), a dean's list student majoring in television and communication at Syracuse University. As a young wife, Rhonda was an undergraduate admissions counselor for The George Washington University. She spent five years there recruiting students from the New England area as well as from the Caribbean. For 10 years she worked for STSC, a software company in Rockville, Maryland, as a production manager. She moved into the software publishing division and managed the distribution and sales of software through international resellers around the world. She also serves on the board of directors of Woodmont Country Club.