Coming Full Circle: How Marc Rollo Plans to Lead Archer’s Next Chapter

 

“Even when an institution is doing well, there’s always room to improve, to leave it stronger than you found it. I’m stepping into the leadership at a firm that’s strong in so many ways, but like any leader, I believe I can make it even better.”

 

For Marc Rollo, South Jersey isn’t just home – it’s the foundation for the life he’s built. The kid from blue-collar Oaklyn is now preparing to lead one of the region’s most respected law firms – Archer & Greiner.

“It’s humbling, really,” says Rollo, incoming president at Archer & Greiner. “Who would have thought that a kid who started at Oaklyn Elementary would end up leading the same firm he joined right out of law school, in the same community where he grew up?”

Rollo was raised in a small, working-class town in Camden County, where his father drove a truck for a living and his mother stayed home to raise the family. 

“College wasn’t even on their radar, but my dad really valued education,” he says. “He didn’t go to college, and my mom didn’t go to college.”

They were determined to give their son the opportunities they never had. Rollo’s father worked overtime and his mom encouraged him to aim high, participate in activities and never settle for mediocrity. 

“He’d deliver heating oil in the snow and come home and tell me about the interesting and successful people he met. He’d say, ‘I want my son to be in that position someday.’”

Rollo graduated from Bishop Eustace before earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Boston College. He then returned home to attend Villanova Law School. After graduating, he joined Archer.

“For anyone who wants to practice law in South Jersey, Archer has always been the place to be,” he says. “I’ve spent my whole career here, advancing within the firm.”

A big part of that journey was influenced by his mentor, Archer attorney Bob Lehman. 

“He taught me to be very fact-based, detail-oriented and precise – in writing, in speech and in analysis,” Rollo says. “He had no tolerance for generalities or vague statements. His key to success in any case was precision and detail, and that really stuck with me.”

Lehman also modeled something Rollo now sees as essential to good leadership: accessibility. 

“Bob used to say, ‘No matter how senior you become, how advanced you are in your career, what position you hold, your door should always be open to people,”’ Rollo says. “He embodied that. You could walk into his office with a question, and he’d always make you feel comfortable asking.” 

That open, collaborative philosophy has come to define Rollo’s approach to leadership. As he prepares to assume the presidency on January 1, 2026, he’s focused on preserving what has long made Archer special while strengthening its sense of connection and accountability. 

“I’m taking what I call a personalized leadership approach,” he says. “One of the things that makes our firm special is our size. We’re big for South Jersey – about 175 attorneys across multiple offices – but compared to the national firms we often work alongside, we’re relatively small. And that’s by design.”

That size, he explains, is what allows him to truly know his people. 

“I can tell you what nearly every attorney in this firm does – their practice area, their clients, their strengths,” says Rollo. “For any potential new matter,  I know exactly who handles that kind of work. I can reach out and connect them, and that personal connection means a lot.”

“It shows people that leadership sees them, knows what they do and values their contribution,” he adds. “That’s what I mean by personalized leadership. It ties together everything – being detail-oriented, following through on ideas, maintaining an open-door policy and fostering collaboration.”

Just as important to him as Archer’s professional excellence is the firm’s people-centered culture – one that encourages balance between hard work and personal fulfillment.

 “We’ve always worked really hard, but we’ve also created an environment where people can have fulfilling personal lives,” he says. “Maybe it’s partly because we’re in a suburban setting – for many of us, home is just 15 minutes away – but we’ve always encouraged people to be present for their families. If you need to go to your child’s sporting event, a dance recital or a spelling bee, you can do that here without guilt. We don’t just tolerate that – we encourage it.”

That culture, Rollo believes, sets Archer apart from larger firms. 

“The best proof is our longevity,” says Rollo. “So many of us have been here our entire careers. People stay because they like it, because that culture is real.”

He’s also proud of the firm’s commitment to its non-legal staff. 

“We have many long-tenured employees who are proud to be part of the Archer family,” says Rollo. “They’re an integral part of what makes this firm special, and we value and support them just as much.” 

That spirit of connection runs deep – not only within the firm, but throughout the region it calls home. 

“We’re South Jersey’s firm,” says Rollo. “We’ve been here going on 98 years, and we’ll celebrate our 100th anniversary in 2028.”

He’s lived those same South Jersey values his entire life – coaching his kids’ sports teams, chatting with friends at Royal Fitness in Barrington, attending mass at St. Rose of Lima and volunteering through Archer’s community programs. 

One of his most meaningful experiences, he says, came through an expungement clinic Archer helped sponsor in Camden County. 

“Helping people clear their records so they could move forward with their lives – that was incredibly rewarding,” says Rollo. “It reminded me that our work can truly change someone’s trajectory.”

As he looks ahead to leading the nearly century-old firm, Rollo is both reflective and determined. 

“Even when an institution is doing well, there’s always room to improve, to leave it stronger than you found it,” he says. “I’m stepping into the leadership at a firm that’s strong in so many ways, but like any leader, I believe I can make it even better.”

For Rollo, it all comes back to the values that shaped him: hard work, humility and community. 

“It’s been a full-circle experience,” he says with a smile. “To grow up here, to meet my wife here, to raise my family here and now to lead a firm that’s not just based here, but truly part of the South Jersey community – that’s something special.”  

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