Managing Attorney at UNC Center for Civil Rights Fired | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Lindsay Marchello, who is an associate editor for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

Dorosin opposed Board of Governors' move ending UNC law school center's ability to sue government agencies

    Mark Dorosin is losing his job as managing attorney at the UNC School of Law's Center for Civil Rights.

    Dorosin was terminated from his position, and UNC Board of Governors member Steve Long says the decision was long overdue.

    Dorosin posted a screenshot of the termination letter on his Facebook page earlier this week, which shows his employment will end Jan. 12. As an "at-will" employee, no reasons are needed for the termination.

    Dorosin didn't respond to a request for comment, but in another Facebook post Dorosin described the week in which he received the letter as a "rollercoaster" and left him "worn out."

    Dorosin joined the CCR in 2008 and became the managing attorney in 2009. He also teaches political and civil rights at the law school and serves on the Orange County Board of Commissioners.

    The center since 2001 has served as a research organization for law students. Despite not being registered as a legal clinic under the American Bar Association, the center has advocated for minority and low-income communities in lawsuits against state and local agencies.

    Long has repeatedly argued the center shouldn't have the ability to sue cities, counties, or the state, as it's exempt from following ABA guidelines. His proposal to bar CCR and other centers affiliated with UNC from entering into lawsuits against government entities was greenlighted by the board in August.

    During the September UNC Board of Governors meeting, the CCR lost its litigation privileges in a 19-3 vote. Dorosin opposed the decision, calling board members "out of order" after the vote.

    Long was blunt when asked about Dorosin's termination.

    "He is a political hack who has abused university resources for years to further his liberal political agenda and not education," Long told the Carolina Journal. "He is an intolerant partisan who demeans people who have honest disagreements with him on policy."

    Private attorneys who have dealt with Dorosin described him as self-righteous, arrogant, demeaning, and accusatory, Long said.

    "This should have been done a long time ago."