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Douglas S. Malan

The Connecticut Law Tribune

01-23-2007

Brian T. Valery, the man who passed himself off as an attorney in two states and worked for a major New York law firm, will soon get to appear in a Connecticut courtroom. But this time, his appearance won't be pro hoc vice in Stamford Superior Court. It will be as a criminal defendant.

Valery, 32, surrendered to authorities in Stamford on Jan. 10 and was arrested on charges of perjury, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and the unauthorized practice of law, a misdemeanor with a maximum two-month sentence.

The paralegal, who lied to his former employer -- Anderson Kill & Olick in Manhattan -- about attending law school and passing the New York bar exam, will be arraigned in Stamford Superior Court on Wednesday.

Valery, of Massapequa Park, N.Y., is represented by Joseph R. Conway, of LaRusso & Conway in Mineola, N.Y. "We'll be opening the lines of communication with Stamford/Norwalk State's Attorney David I. Cohen on Jan. 16 to discuss possible plea bargains," Conway said.

Valery's career demise came in the wake of an appearance in Stamford Superior Court in May 2005. He had applied for and received temporary admission in Connecticut to represent defendants in Steadfast Insurance Co. v. The Purdue Frederick Co., which settled early in 2006. No one at Anderson Kill or in the Stamford court ever performed a background check of Valery to ensure that he was a lawyer admitted to the New York bar in good standing. Valery was disbarred in Connecticut in December 2006 following an investigation by Chief Disciplinary Counsel Mark A. Dubois.

Valery joined Anderson Kill in 1996 and told the firm in 2004 that he had passed the New York bar examination. The firm adjusted his work schedule after Valery told partners he was attending Fordham Law School during the evening. Anderson Kill fired Valery on Oct. 23, 2006.