Attorney Is Suspended Over Misrepresentations on Job Application
A Connecticut lawyer who applied for a staff attorney job with a state worker’s compensation agency wound up suspended over misrepresentations on his resumé after the woman assigned to check his references alerted lawyer disciplinary authorities.
Contrary to what Mark Villeneuve claimed in his resumé, he hadn’t graduated with honors from Western New England College School of Law, nor was there any record of his claimed participation as assistant note editor on its law review, explains the Connecticut Appellate Court in a written opinion (PDF) that is scheduled to be officially released on Feb. 22nd.
Meanwhile, though he claimed at the time of his application to be presently employed by the Law Office of Jean Smith, that law firm “apparently did not exist.” However, “the defendant had worked for another law firm during the time that he allegedly was working for Smith and did not indicate that fact on his application or resumé,” the opinion continues.
Villeneuve defended, to no avail, by moving to dismiss for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction, the Legal Profession Blog noted. At one point, he claimed his identity had been stolen and denied having any knowledge of the application.
