Mark Dubois

Mark Dubois is counsel with the New London firm of Geraghty & Bonnano. He was Connecticut’s first Chief Disciplinary Counsel from 2003 until 2001. In that position he established an office that investigated and prosecuted attorney misconduct and the unauthorized practice of law. He is co-author of Connecticut Legal Ethics and Malpractice, the first book devoted to the topic of attorney ethics in Connecticut. He is a weekly contributor to the Connecticut Law Tribune where he writes the Ethics Matters column. Attorney Dubois represents individuals accused of ethical misconduct and malpractice. He also serves as an expert witness on matters of ethics and malpractice. He teaches ethics at UConn Law School and has taught ethics as Quinnipiac University School of Law where he was Distinguished Practitioner in Residence in 2011. He has lectured in Connecticut and nationally on attorney ethics and has given or participated in over 75 presentations and symposia on attorney ethics and malpractice. He has also taught trial advocacy and legal research and writing. Attorney Dubois has been board certified in civil trial advocacy by the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification for over 20 years. He is presently president-elect of the Connecticut Bar Association and will be president in 2014. In addition to being an officer of the Bar Association, he is a member of the Professional Discipline, Unauthorized Practice, Pro Bono and Mentoring committees. He is a member of the New Britain, New London, and American Bar Associations as well as the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers. He is the recipient of the Quintin Johnstone Service to the Profession Award in 2012 and the American Board of Trial Advocacy, Connecticut Chapter, Annual Award in 2007.

June 24, 2014 | Connecticut Law Tribune

Mark Dubois: Mortgage Scams Are Bad Risk for Lawyers

One of the many things I do a lot lately is talk. I am the floor show for many bar meetings. I recently did two of these with a very nice lawyer from the U.S. Attorney's Office, David Huang. They were both about mortgage fraud and how easily some lawyers got ensnared in a federal criminal prosecution.

By Mark Dubois

4 minute read

June 18, 2014 | Connecticut Law Tribune

Mark Dubois: Internet Ads Put Ethics Rules To The Test

The Indiana Supreme Court recently reprimanded a lawyer for participation in a lawyer-client matching scheme, writing the latest, though clearly not the last, chapter in the saga of pounding the square pegs of lawyers' ethics rules into the round holes of technology.

By Mark Dubois

4 minute read

June 10, 2014 | Connecticut Law Tribune

Mark Dubois: GM Crisis Highlights Confidentiality Issues For Lawyers

As GM continues to reel under the fallout over whether it hid or downplayed the seriousness of the problem with the ignition switches on some of its vehicles which had led to injury or death in some cases, attention is turning to its lawyers.

By MARK DUBOIS

4 minute read

June 03, 2014 | Connecticut Law Tribune

Mark Dubois: Law School Graduation Speeches Not So Inspirational

I read that the best part of Harvard's Law School's graduation this year was Mindy Kaling's speech which included telling the graduates that some of them were evil (it's a statistically defensible argument), that some of them would spend their careers defending BP from seagulls (also true), that some of them would make "serious bank" (again, true) and that she wanted to marry the cutest of them (an ill-considered but clearly wise move).

By By MARK DUBOIS

5 minute read

May 29, 2014 | Connecticut Law Tribune

Mark Dubois: Anti-GAL Crowd Gives Rules Committee An Earful

If what I saw the other day at the Rules Committee hearing on proposed Practice Book changes is any indication, the Judicial Branch (and all of us) are in for a rough year ahead.

By Mark Dubois

5 minute read

May 20, 2014 | Connecticut Law Tribune

Mark Dubois: SCAM or SCUM? Either Way, Change Is Afoot

In both big law and tiny law today, however, technology is changing not just how we do our work, but what our work is. That is a huge shift. I have never done a tweet. (Is "done" even the proper verb?) I don't know a ShapChat from a Reddit. The only time I took a selfie was when I asked to borrow a friend's phone and pressed the wrong button.

By MARK DUBOIS

5 minute read

May 13, 2014 | Connecticut Law Tribune

Mark Dubois: Paying Lip Service To Confidentiality And Privilege

I got a call from a lawyer the other day. A colleague had been served with a search warrant for a client's file. It appeared that the focus of the investigation may have been related to claims of fraud.

By MARK DUBOIS

5 minute read

April 30, 2014 | Connecticut Law Tribune

Mark Dubois: I Disclaim This Disclaimer

One of the "best practices" these days for websites is the use of a disclaimer to avoid the creation of an attorney-client relationship. Sometimes folks ask me for a form. Here is one that a friend sent:

By Mark Dubois

5 minute read

April 25, 2014 | Connecticut Law Tribune

Mark Dubois: Innovative Practice Plans May Violate Rules

I get a lot of calls from lawyers who want to vet some creative (and some boneheaded) business ideas. Sometimes, when I tell them their plan is best avoided unless they want the experience of being my client in the disciplinary dock, they respond with a variation of "Where is the law that says I can't do this?"

By Mark Dubois

4 minute read

April 15, 2014 | Connecticut Law Tribune

Mark Dubois: Don't Try To Muzzle A Client With A Grievance

I saw an interesting ethics decision out of Kentucky the other day involving an attempt to buy silence in a grievance case. The case was called Kentucky Bar Association vs. Unnamed Attorney. (There are a lot of unnamed attorney cases in Kentucky. This one was Dec. 19, 2013. You can find it on the Google.)

By Mark Dubois

4 minute read

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