Professor, School of Law
2018
Bio:
Professor Dubin began his law career as an Instructor with Cleveland State University (1966-1968) followed by being a Partner in the law firm of Gage, Brukoff, Dubin & Siudara (1968-1975). In 1975 he joined University of Detroit, later University of Detroit Mercy, School of Law.
Phyllis Crocker, Dean, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in her nomination support letter notes “Professor Durbin has taught thousands of law students the subjects of Professional Responsibility, Evidence, Trial Practice, and Civil Procedure. In each of these areas he has taken his responsibility as a legal educator to teach critical thinking skills, positively influence the professional lives of his students, and better inform the public about the law.” He has taught skill-based courses in trial practice and evidence which are required foundational courses.
Dean Crocker further writes “When Professor Dubin began teaching in 1975, Professional Responsibility, as a topic of study for students and the academy, was relatively new. It was not until Watergate that the American Bar Association required every student in every law school take a course in this core area. Professor Dubin helped shape this field through his teaching, his production of numerous educational documentaries used throughout the country, his extensive scholarship, and his long-term service on Michigan ethics commissions.”
The nomination documents include statements that Professor Dubin’s teaching evaluations from students over the years indicated that he provided positive role modeling and a sound legal education for the substantive nature of the courses taught. He was always rigorous and creative to drive home the personal and professional importance of the topic. An example of this “is his creation of more than fifteen documentaries that explained key issues such as how clients perceive lawyer misconduct, what it means to represent a person accused of a crime, substance abuse by lawyers, and racism in the legal system.” Professor Dubin has noted that he created the videos “to help students better understand the importance of the relationships they have with clients and the dangers faced by addiction issues as well as blind ambition objectives.”
Known as an advocate for improving the legal profession’s ethics standards, Professor Dubin has written and spoken numerous times on ethical issues arising in criminal and civil cases. He has written seven books and four book chapters on lawyer responsibility from the victim’s perspectives, Michigan rules on professional conduct, trial practice, web of the criminal justice system, professional misconduct, legal ethics, and communicating with clients. His journal articles are numerous including a weekly column (1981-1986) for the Oakland Press entitled “You and the Law” and a regular ethics column for the National Law Journal from 1990-1997.
More specifically, Professor Dubin’s articles have been published in the New England Legal Review, Detroit Law, Legal Review, Journal of Psychiatry and Law, University of Detroit Journal of Urban Law, Michigan Bar Journal, Student Law, Legal Ethics, Wayne Law Review, Oklahoma Law Review, and Florida Law Review. Examples of article titles include Storytelling to Inspire Law Students, Are Lawyers Entitled to Free Speech?, Client Beware: The Need for a Mandatory Written Fee Agreement Rule, Recent Changes in Michigan Disciplinary Procedure: A Job Unfinished, Sex and the Divorce Lawyer: Is the Client Off Limits, The Case of the Missing Evidence: Why Prosecutors and Defense Lawyers are Judged by Different Standards, Referral Fees Prove that you Really Can Earn Money, and Why Should Lawyers Sully Themselves in the Marketplace.
Professor Dubin’s service to the legal profession includes his appointment by the Michigan Supreme Court as a Commissioner to the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission where he served as both Vice Chairman and Chairman. He was appointed to the State Bar of Michigan Task Force on Professionalism, to its Standing Committee on Grievance, to its Task Force on Procedural Disciplinary Rules, and its Lawyers & Judges Assistance Program Committee. For the School of Law Professor Dubin served on the Committee to Revise Student Handbook, the Honor Council, Admissions Committee, and chaired the Petitions Committee.
Professor Dubin has been recognized for his quality of teaching and years of service to the academic community and legal profession. He was selected by the students of the School of Law as Professor of the Year (1979-1980), honored by the State Bar of Michigan with the Wade H. McCree, Jr. Award for the Advancement of Justice (1992), recognized with University of Detroit Mercy President’s Award for Faculty Excellence (1996), the Philip J. McElroy Endowed Chair (1998 and 2018), and University of Detroit Mercy Service Award for 40 years of service. He was recognized by the State Bar of Michigan Award for 50 years of membership and service (2016) and the John W. Rood Michigan Lawyer Legacy Award (2018).
In concluding her nomination support letter, Dean Crocker wrote “Professor Dubin’s professional life has been devoted to core Jesuit and Sister of Mercy values: pursuing justice and teaching students and others the values of leading an ethical life. He has sought out ways to engage and inspire students at Detroit Mercy Law and across the country in their pursuit of justice, racial equality, and service.”
Professor Dubin earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan School of Law.
Professor Dubin’s nomination for Professor Emeritus was approved and conferred by Dr. Antoine M. Garibaldi, President of University of Detroit Mercy on August 16, 2018.