Mark Dubois

Mark Dubois, the former chief disciplinary counsel for Connecticut, is now an attorney at the New London firm of Geraghty & Bonnano.

Ethics Matters

Disruptive Technology Leads To Death By Small Cuts

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Friday, November 16, 2012 | by Mark Dubois | The Connecticut Law Tribune

I had an interesting talk with New Milford solo Greg Cava the other day. Greg is past chair of the Connecticut Bar Associaton Real Property Section and has been one of the most vocal proponents of lawyers taking a more aggressive posture with regard to defending the practice of law from out-of-state law firms, Internet enterprises and others who have been chipping away at the bread and butter of the small and mid-sized law firms for many years.

Ethics Matters

The Paladin Of Uri Kresh

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Friday, November 9, 2012 | by Mark Dubois | The Connecticut Law Tribune

One who knows me only from this column might think I am a dry sort, spending my spare time bloviating about ethics and not much fun otherwise. However, I do have my moments. One thing I did recently was to attend a LARP event in the woods of eastern Connecticut.

Ethics Matters

The Narcissism of Small Differences

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Friday, November 2, 2012 | by Mark Dubois | The Connecticut Law Tribune

Freud wrote in On Human Sexuality of the tendency of humans in search of an identity to focus on minute differences between themselves and their neighbors. He and others have commented that some of the deepest and most intransigent disputes are between people who, to an outsider, appear identical.

Ethics Matters

Why Is Debt Better Than Equity?

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Friday, October 26, 2012 | by Mark Dubois | The Connecticut Law Tribune

In case you missed it, two weeks ago there was argument at the Second Circuit on the dismissal in New York of the Jacoby & Meyers suit. Jacoby & Meyers is a New York firm (with offices in Connecticut and New Jersey) that sued a variety of state officials in all three states where they operate over the prohibition in their lawyers' ethics rules on non-lawyer stock ownership. From what I read, its lawsuit may see new life.

Ethics Matters

Private Judges, Private Justice

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Friday, October 19, 2012 | by Mark Dubois | The Connecticut Law Tribune

As Law Tribune columnist Dan Krisch and others have noted, we seem to be in the midst of an interesting shift where many of the "go to" judges of the Superior Court, judges that many lawyers sought out and trusted to resolve their clients' most serious disputes, are retiring and setting up shop at large law firms. While this is great for them, I am not sure it bodes well for our court system and the perception of equal access to justice.

Ethics Matters

Working For Tips

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Friday, October 12, 2012 | by Mark Dubois | The Connecticut Law Tribune

Lately, some columnists, commentators and bloggers have been writing about the need for lawyers to embrace "alternative billing" as an antidote to the tyranny of the billable hour. From what I read, it has gained some traction in the field of corporate work, wherein large legal departments have entered into creative arrangements with their outside counsel designed to control spending in exchange for guaranteed payments.

Ethics Matters

Zealous Advocacy Versus Honorable Conduct

Friday, October 5, 2012 | by Mark Dubois | The Connecticut Law Tribune

In a recent column I wrote about the challenges and rewards of caring for an elderly parent. The column got more response than anything I have ever written. One lawyer, retired from practice in Connecticut and instead now practicing in Arizona, was Debbie Weecks. We discussed doing some collaborative work, exploring the issues related to representation of vulnerable or elderly adults.

Ethics Matters

The Dangers Of Dabbling

Friday, September 28, 2012 | by Mark Dubois | The Connecticut Law Tribune

Legal risk managers often warn against dabbling. The dictionary defines it as a superficial or intermittent interest, investigation, or experiment in an unfamiliar field. I am a lawyer. I write an occasional column for this paper. As a journalist, I am probably a dabbler. I try my best, but I am far from Pulitzer Prize caliber. (Just ask my editor.) A more serious problem occurs when a lawyer dabbles in areas of law that he or she is not conversant with. Bad things often happen.