13 Years Later, Man Arrested For Practicing Law Without A License

He'd allegedly been warned -- multiple times -- he couldn't practice without a license.

Jerome Dunbar has allegedly been practicing law in Connecticut for 13 years. Only problem? He’s not an attorney. Yikes.

According to the arresting documents, since 2006, Dunbar has represented clients in Connecticut Appellate Court, Connecticut Superior Court, Connecticut Housing Court, and Connecticut Department of Labor hearings. That’s an impressive record even for a real esquire.

But the question remains: how exactly was Dunbar able to get away with allegedly practicing law without a license for so many years? As reported by Law.com, Dunbar seems to have thought the title “attorney in fact” would allow him to practice:

The arrest affidavit said Dunbar told authorities he believed he was within his rights to represent clients because he was using the title “Attorney in Fact.” But in presenting himself as an attorney when he was not one, Dunbar violated the Connecticut General Statute, according to the affidavit.

Obviously, that was not the case, and indeed, the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel (OCDC) told Dunbar that in 2007. They told him an “attorney in fact” didn’t give him “the right to act as a legal representative in a court or quasi-legal forum.” Dunbar responded in 2007 that he used the wrong terminology and the OCDC closed the case that year.

Again in 2010, the OCDC told Dunbar he could not represent clients in an administrative hearing after receiving additional complaints about him. But according to the arrest warrant, since 2014, the OCDC continued to receive complaints about Dunbar.

Sponsored

On July 3rd of this year, Dunbar was charged with seven counts of unauthorized practice of law, and faces up to five years in prison and a $35,000 fine. He is being held on $25,000 bond pending a July 29th court appearance.


headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

Sponsored