Law Office of Mark Rubin, P.L.C.

Attorneys

History

Background Information

I've been practicing law at the Law Office of Mark Rubin, P.L.C. since January, 2000. I've been a lawyer in private practice since 1981. I started my career with a small firm and, from 1983 through 2000, was associated with a mid-sized Tucson firm. I am also a Certified Fiduciary and, from time to time, have served as a court-appointed Special Master in cases where judges require assistance or special expertise.

I'm an "AV" rated lawyer, according to Martindale-Hubbell. This rating says my peers consider my legal abilities "very high to preeminent," and also says my peers consider my ethical standards "very high." The "AV" rating is the highest rating given by Martindale-Hubbell.

My practice focuses on real estate and business litigation, transactions and general representation. However, I also practice actively in probate court, both as a lawyer and as a Certified Fiduciary. I also represent lawyers in professional discipline and malpractice matters, and also represent non-lawyers in legal malpractice cases.

I'm an active member of the Arizona legal community. Mainly, my volunteer activities relate to ethics and professionalism. I was a member of the Disciplinary Commission of the Arizona Supreme Court between 1989 and 1995, and was its chairperson in 1994-5. This body administers lawyer discipline in Arizona. In my work on the Commission I participated in more than 500 decisions involving lawyer misconduct. I also wrote several opinions associated with sanctioned lawyers.

In 2001-3, I served on the State Bar's Ethical Rules Review Group, a 17-member body that rewrote the Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers in Arizona. From 2005-2007, I was a member of the State Bar's Committee on Rules of Professional Conduct, aka the Ethics Committee, a group that provides written opinions about lawyer conduct. From 2003 until 2008 I was a Trustee of the State Bar's Client Protection Fund, a fund that reimburses clients when lawyers have wrongfully taken their money.

In 2008 I was appointed to the State Bar Consumer Information & Education Task Force. The group has focused on lawyer advertising and issues associated with hiring and using lawyers.

Since 2003, I have served on the Board of Visitors of the University of Arizona Rogers College of Law. This body meets from time to time to maintain contact with the law school and advise the administration about school/practice issues.

Previously, I was a member of Executive Council of the State Bar Real Property Section and a member of a State Bar long range planning committee. I was also the 1996 State Bar annual convention chair.

Charitable endeavors also occupy a significant amount of my time. I am a past board chair of the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education, a primary funder of legal services for the poor in Arizona (and was a director for seven and one-half years.)

In May 2009 I will finish a two year term as the board chair for the Tucson Jewish Community Center, a 6000 member organization with a $6,500,000 annual budget. Previously, I was the agency's treasurer, a vice-chair and the chair of its Fund Development Committee. I also currently chair its Annual Campaigns Committee, the group that is responsible for annual giving.

I also chair the Steering Committee for B'nai Tzedek, a Jewish youth philanthropy program for middle and high school students. This program, which was started in Tucson in 2006, teaches teens basic principles of philanthropy and develops life-long giving practices.

I was a founding board member of Social Venture Partners of Greater Tucson, a venture capital fund that invests in the non-profit sector. This organization, on whose partner recruitment and retention committee I now sit, emphasizes engaged philanthropy by using a venture capital model for investing in nonprofit entities dedicated to improving literacy in our community.

From 2005-2007 I was the chair of the Tocqueville Society for United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, and previously chaired the United Way's legal division for two years. Finally, for many years I was the class agent for my alma mater, Beloit College.

My wife and I have a daughter (16) who keeps us plenty busy. When I'm not working, doing bar or charitable work or family stuff, I cook and bake, garden, write essays and read American history and popular fiction about lawyers. Fantasy baseball was a passion for five years; however, after three losing seasons in a row my partner and I abandoned our team.